


Woman of the People (A Carmilla/Skyrim AU)

by Thisistheend



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Dragonborn (Elder Scrolls), F/F, F/M, Female-Centric, Gen, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-02 22:31:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 52,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4076200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thisistheend/pseuds/Thisistheend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny Lawrence finds herself captured by an Imperial party after attempting to cross the borders of Skyrim illegally.  After narrowly escaping her death due to a dragon attack, she soon discovers that she is Dragonborn, and is the only one that can defeat the evil dragon Alduin.  Danny finds herself on a perilous quest filled with danger and excitement, where she discovers both friends and foes along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Helgen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Pompeii** by Bastille

A young Nordic woman felt the wooden cart that she sat upon sway back and forth against the old cobblestone path as her eyelids fluttered open. Her vision blurred, but she could see the greens and blues of an old pine forest around her. The Nord sat up slightly on the wooden bench as she adjusted her eyes to the early morning light. A light breeze flowed from behind her, and she could feel the strands of her long ginger hair flying carelessly with it. The young woman could see an Imperial soldier was driving the cart, the morning rays streaking his issued uniform. She turned behind her to see several carts filled with Stormcloak prisoners behind her. She had to squint her eyes, as the early sunrise blazed above the long line of carts.

_Shit._

Her memory flowed back into her mind. She had almost made it across the border to Skyrim from Cyrodiil, if she hadn’t blindly walked right into a war skirmish in Darkwater Crossing. They must have misjudged her for a Stormcloak soldier.

The Nord woman looked down to see that her scaled armor was still intact, but her weapons were confiscated. She raised her hands up to her face, wrists tied together with leather strips. Letting out a small sigh, her shoulders relaxed; a small silver ring comfortably wrapped around her ring finger, the forward facing part of the ring in the shape of a howling wolf.  
Despite having the ring, the full moon still clouded her mind, and her decision-making skills were not at its best, for example, her decision to get involved in a civil war skirmish. She growled irritably at herself.

“Hey, you’re awake!”

The young woman turned her head in surprise to see a fresh-faced young Nordic man sitting across from her on the old cart, clad in Stormcloak armor and leather cuffs. He looked as if he were slightly younger than her, as she guessed that he hadn’t seen his twentieth winter. He had large ears and carefully shaved brown hair, his eager blue eyes watching the Nordic girl curiously.

“You were trying to cross the border, right?” he asked her, his eyes wide, “Walked right into an ambush like the rest of us. You shouldn’t be here. They want us Stormcloaks.”

The young woman glared at him. Her mind was still fuzzy, but her vision had now come into focus. She took in a deep breath through her nose to take in her surroundings. The smell of fresh pine needles and the forest winds wafted in the air. However, the eager soldier in front of her smelled musty, like that of a wild creature. She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“And you are?” she implored.

“Kirsch Zeta-Shield, Ice-Veins of the Stormcloaks, at your assistance,” he announced, hitting his fist against his chest and straightening his posture, “And you, m’lady?”

The Nordic girl groaned. 

“Danny. My name’s Danny.”

The young woman heard a muffled voice to her right. She turned to see an older Nord with fine fur armor, a gag covering his mouth. He watched her intensely with eyes like chunks of ice. The rising sun shined a golden light around his squared shoulders, and Danny had to squint her eyes to see him clearly.

“What’s wrong with him?” she asked.

“Hey, watch it! You’re speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak!”

Danny’s eyes grew wide. She knew that name well. The Jarl locked eyes with her for a moment. His once intense eyes now drooped with remorse.

Danny knew that he recognized her. She had so many questions to ask him, but with the gag covering his mouth he could not answer them.

“If they’ve captured you…” Danny whipped her head back at Kirsch, “Dammit, where are they taking us?”

“Helgen, I think,” Kirsch responded. He paused for a moment, looking up at Danny, “We go to Sovngarde today.”

Danny took a shaky breath. The Stormcloak soldier looked down at the rotting wooden floor of their cart as they rolled down the old Skyrim trail. The silence was only filled with the distant sound of birdsong and the occasional gust of biting wind. Danny only felt her chest turning cold and empty from the idea of leaving Nirn.

As the cobblestone path began to slant downwards, a wall of stone came into view of the cuffed prisoners. Danny could see dozens Imperial soldiers patrolling the walls of the fort as they came to the gate entrance, with large wooden doors that opened widely for the prisoner-filled carts to file in.

As they approached the wooden gates, Kirsch watched the fort with a furrowed brow. 

“Where are you from?” Kirsch implored, looking over at Danny again. She paused before giving an answer.

“Near Shor’s Stone. My family owned a farm in the Rift.” 

There was no point in hiding anything now.

Kirsch nodded solemnly. Once their cart passed the gates, Danny could see the houses that lined the fort walls of Helgen. The cart turned left, but on the path to the right, an old Imperial general spoke to a group of High Elves on horseback, heads high and postures straight.

Danny felt her heart drop in her chest.

“General Tullius, the military governor,” Kirsch mocked as they passed the Imperial man, “And the Thalmor are with him. I bet they had something to do with this.”

Danny could feel the hairs on her neck stand on end. One of the elves looked towards the cart, and suddenly focused on Danny. The elf’s eyebrow raised at the sight of the ginger Nord.

“Kirsch,” Danny stammered. 

He looked back in her direction, eyes widening.

“Block me from their view,” she commanded.

“Why?”

“Just do it!”

The young Stormcloak positioned his body so he sat directly between the Thalmor justiciars and Danny. The elf carefully observed the carriage until it was out of sight. The Nord woman let out another sigh, and Kirsch moved back to his original spot on the long cart bench.

“What in Oblivion was that about?”

“None of your business,” Danny retorted, still shaking from the encounter. She fought back tears from her eyes; she couldn’t show weakness now, especially towards her death. Kirsch raised his eyebrow.

“I saved your hide, I think I deserve an explanation,” Kirsch spoke.

Danny sighed, watching a little boy on the side of the road as he watched the soldiers go by. The little boy began to pout when his father took his hand, dragging him inside their house of wood.

“Look, all you need to know is that the Thalmor are looking for me. Good enough?”

Kirsch chuckled, “You’re on the run from the Thalmor? That’s a rough spot to be in. But it’s not like you’re the only one.”

The carriage came to a jerking stop, throwing the three prisoners off balance. Danny could feel the frozen void in her chest grow deeper. They waited until all of the carriages successfully stopped against a fort wall that connected to a large tower. One by one, prisoners jumped off of the wooden carts and formed lines facing different Imperial generals. Danny and Kirsch both rose from their seats, and Kirsch jumped off the cart to stand behind Ulfric in line. An Imperial soldier stood in front of their line with a book and quill in his hands, scribbling messily upon the parchment.

“Empire loves their damn lists,” Danny heard another Stormcloak soldier say. The Imperial soldier scrunched his face in revolt of the comment before reading off the list in front of him. Danny smirked.

“Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm,” the soldier spoke. The Jarl gave the Imperial soldier a nod before walking towards the fort tower with the other prisoners.

“It’s been an honor, Jarl-” Kirsch began to speak before Danny planted a firm elbow in his gut. This young Stormcloak was going to be the death of her before she could even be greeted by the headsman’s axe. Danny could hear Kirsch swear under his breath.

The Imperial soldier called out the next name.

“Kirsch Zeta-Shield of Narzulbur.”

“What?” Danny muttered under her breath as Kirsch followed Ulfric to the tower. She that the name sounded Orcish, as she had met many Orcs in her travels. She knew that Orcs had reclusive tendencies, especially concerning their way of life. Danny’s head began to ache; there was too much going on for her mind to process.

_Narzulbur? What’s a Nord doing in an Orc Stronghold?_

Her thoughts were cut off by the Imperial soldier with the list in his hand. 

“You there, step forward,” he commanded. Danny took several shaky steps towards him. An Imperial woman clad in heavy armor stood behind him, watching the Nord girl intensely. 

“You’ve come home at a bad time, kinsman,” the soldier spoke, “What’s your name?”

“Danny Lawrence of Shor’s Stone, sir.”

“Lawrence, eh?” the man spoke as he searched through the list, “I’ve heard that name before. You wouldn’t happen to be the kin of that Stormcloak general… Alrek Lawrence, isn’t it?”

“I’m his daughter.”

“I thought he lost his family to the Thalmor. Curious.”

Danny could see Ulfric watching her from a distance. He gave her a small nod before turning towards the other prisoners again. Kirsch was having a hushed conversation with another Stormcloak soldier as he stood by Ulfric’s side. The Imperial soldier turned to the general that stood behind him.

“What do we do? She’s not on the list.”

“Forget the list. She’s with the Stormcloaks, she goes to the block.” 

Danny’s stomach dropped. She wasn’t ready for death. Despite her shaking legs, she was able to walk over to the front of the tower alongside the other prisoners, where a wooden chopping block awaited them. A headsman stood next to the block, a silent ghost among the patrolling soldiers. He wore black armor and held a long, freshly sharpened axe that was much taller than Danny. A black hood completely covered his shadowed face. Danny stood by Kirsch, who looked at her with a fresh fear in his eyes. He fidgeted with his leather cuffs silently.

_Face your death with some courage, Lawrence._

To the left of her, General Tullius spoke directly to Ulfric, who still had a gag in his mouth. The Jarl could do nothing but look him in the eye as the General threw all matters of insults him. Danny blocked the two men out of her mind; the only thing that awaited her now was the headsman’s axe. It had been many years since she felt her heart race like this. She looked over at Kirsch, who watched Tullius intensely. Danny looked down at her amulet of Talos that wrapped around her neck. She wasn’t the type to be religious like her parents had been, but she had little choice now. The young Nord began to delicately toy with the pendant with her clammy hands, bound by leather.

“To the block, Nord!” an Imperial general pointed at Danny.

_Talos save me._

Danny looked back at Kirsch. He gave Danny a solemn nod, his shoulders now slouched. The young woman willed her shaking legs to move towards the general, her heart dropping into an empty pit of ice. She was halfway to the block before she saw a massive shadow cast over the ground. A deafening roar sounded above her head and the Nord woman stopped dead in her tracks. The earth shuddered as the massive shadow landed in front of her, and Danny was thrown to the stone ground.  
“By the Gods, what is that thing!?”


	2. The Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Run Boy Run** by Woodkid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys search this fic on Wattpad,it comes with youtube videos for the dedicated song per chapter I am posting, as well as some visuals, if you guys are interested.

Danny quickly tried to pull herself back up, hearing only the screams of both townspeople and soldiers. She opened her eyes to see the brown and red masses of imperial soldiers running around her, shouting and screaming frantically. Danny’s vision came into focus as she looked up to the tower. She let out a ragged gasp, her voice taken away by the sight before her. A massive black dragon sat upon the tower, covered in sharp horns and ebony scales, staring at her with glinting red eyes. Danny sat paralyzed as she locked eyes with the twisted creature. Time seemed to slow down as he roared at the young Nord, the morning clouds swirling as he commanded the skies. She could almost swear that she could hear words within his deafening roar. 

She may has well have been facing Sithis himself.

So the legends are true.

“Come on, psycho!” She heard Kirsch cry out, “This way!”

Safety first, dragon later.

Danny broke her eye contact with the dragon immediately. Feeling entered her limbs once again, she scrambled to her feet and ran blindly in the direction of the other Nord. Even with her vision blurred, she could see that they were running towards a tower on the other side of the main road, now crumbling from the rocks that pelted from the sky. Danny dodged multiple rocks before making it into the tower safely. She leaned against the wall upon entering the tower, as she tried to take control of her rapid heart. Her blurry vision began to come into focus, as she could recognize Ulfric Stormcloak standing a few paces away. His is gag hung off of his neck, leaving his mouth free to communicate. Kirsch filed into the tower after her and leaned against the archway, his armor drenched in sweat.

“Jarl! That thing… Is that real?” Kirsch implored the leader of the rebellion. The older man looked at Danny and Kirsch with a furrowed brow.

“Legends don’t burn down villages,” he told them. He paused for a moment to regain his breath. He glanced over at Danny before speaking again.

“We need to move. Now!”

“Still alive, Zeta? Stick with me if you want to stay that way,” Danny yelled at Kirsch. The only way out of the tower was up, so she began racing towards the stairs. She could hear Kirsch’s racing footsteps behind her, but didn’t bother to look back. Suddenly, the wall blasted open in front of her, sending stones hurling in every direction. She and Kirsch both crouched down to avoid the flying debris, only to see the angular head of the legendary drake. The head alone was bigger than both of the Nords. The dragon opened up its gaping mouth as it roared once again, fire spewing out of its jaws. Within seconds, the dragon had lifted off from the tower and taken to the skies, leaving Danny and Kirsch with dropped jaws and wide eyes. 

The young Nords jumped out of their hiding place, examining the destruction that lay before them. Danny stood at the edge of stone hole the dragon had created, seeing a crumbling wooden inn nearly twenty feet away. The hatched roof was singed from the dragon fire and was nearly gone, and Danny could clearly see the second floor of the building. She looked down at her bound hands, the wolf ring still tight on her finger. She could jump through the roof of the inn if it was her only means of escape, but that would mean leaving Kirsch behind.

However, he seemed to have similar ideas.

“Jump!” he yelled at her. He took a few steps back before making a run towards the hole in the tower. Danny screamed out at him as he leapt, making it into the second story of the inn safely. She could see from far away that his eyes were luminous, and held a predatory hunger to them.

So that’s why he smelled like a wild animal.

Danny took a few steps back, willing the beast within her to wake from its slumber. Her blue eyes began to glow like a savage animal, and she could feel the pain of her fingernails growing into claws, as well as her canine teeth growing sharper. She then used her will to prevent the beast from growing any more within her. The werewolf took a running jump off of the stone tower, landing on both feet on the second story of the inn. She willed the beast to sleep once more. Kirsch’s eyes had now faded to their normal light blue, and Danny could feel her fangs dulling into canines once again.

“Come on then, werewolf,” Danny mocked Kirsch as she jumped down to the second story of the inn through a hole in the wooden floor. She ran out of the shredded wall of the wooden inn, Kirsch directly following her. They both sprinted through the main cobblestone road, which was now filled with Nord villagers and Imperial soldiers alike as they shot arrows in the dragon’s general direction.

“Stay close to the wall!” Kirsch roared, and Danny dove towards the stone wall that protected what used to be a small trading store. A large wooden board stuck out of the rubble, and one particular edge of the board seemed to be fairly sharp. Kirsch was soon by her side, and a large shadow passed overhead. The young Nords both leaned into the stone wall as the black dragon landed upon it, fire flooding out of its deadly jaws and onto an unsuspecting Imperial soldier. With a thrust of its torn black wings and a tremble in the earth, the dragon was circling the skies once more. The two Nords were left breathless.

Everything was happening too fast. The Nordic girl could only rely on her instincts now.

“Over here!” she screeched at the young Stormcloak, firmly planting the leather cuffs on her hands into the sharp wood that she had spotted earlier. After a few moments of struggling with the leather, she was able to break it neatly in half, freeing her of her bonds. She kept a lookout for the sky as Kirsch took his turn on the sharp board. The dragon was flying towards the other side of town, as his deafening roar could be heard from behind her.

Once Kirsch had broken his bonds, the two Nords ran through a burned down house and out into the main pathway of the town. Danny stopped dead in her tracks, paralyzed by what events unfurled before her. Torched bodies of Imperial soldiers littered the ground. A man cried out that he had fought bravely as he struggled with his last breaths, an arrow dug into his chest. The menacing cry of the dragon could be heard in the distance of the rising sun. Time slowed down.

She looked up at the dragon, who now flew in her direction. Its burning eyes sent a tremor down her spine.

“Psycho! This way!” Kirsch screamed, grabbing Danny’s arm and pulling her in the direction of a huge tower. She shook the Nord boy’s arm off quickly and began sprinting behind him. Within moments, they had both reached the giant wooden doors of the Helgen Keep, and Kirsch ripped them open without a second thought. Danny was already running at her top speed, so she bolted through the opened doors and almost ran into the stone wall on the opposite side of the room in an attempt to slow herself down. The Nordic girl gasped for air as she leaned against the side of the wall.

Kirsch immediately slammed the wooden doors and boarded them up with a piece of firewood that had been lying on the floor. He leaned against the door and Danny the wall, both breathing heavily from their flight.

Kirsch was the first to speak.

“By Talos, what the fuck just happened?” 

“A dragon just attacked Helgen, genius,” Danny retorted, grabbing a steel sword from a nearby weapon rack. A mace hung off of the rack as well, which she thrust into Kirsch’s hands. She looked the Stormcloak dead in the eye. “We need to get the hell out of here before it brings the place to the ground.”

The building shook, and bits of dust and debris fell from the ceiling.

“Yeah…. Yeah, we should get going,” he stammered. Danny walked over to the iron door and investigated the lock.

“Got any lockpicks, Zeta?”

“I got nothing.”

“Could you at least try and make yourself useful!?”

“Move out of the way, then.”

Danny moved to the right of the iron door, and she could see that Kirsch’s eyes began to emit a soft glow. He grabbed one of the iron poles in the door and forcefully pulled on it, bending the iron door in his direction. Danny had to stop her jaw from dropping, silently hating herself for being impressed. With two hands on the door, Kirsch gave another pull, ripping the iron door from its hinges. He dropped the door onto the stone floor, his eyes returning to a normal shade.

“Don’t look so shocked, psycho. Werebear, not werewolf. You were half right,” he declared, picking up the mace that had dropped on the floor, “Anyways, strength is sort of my thing.”

Danny clenched her teeth as she ran into the depths of the keep, Kirsch following her. She took a sharp turn right, only to fall backwards as the earth rumbled beneath them once again. Boulders and wooden boards crashed down mere feet in front of her. She immediately hopped back up on her feet and grabbed her sword. She didn’t have time to consider the many ways she had just escaped her death. 

“Guess we’re not going that way,” Danny growled.

“Careful,” Kirsch spoke as he rounded the corner.

“Shut up.”

The two Nords sprinted through the stone hallways, fully aware of their surroundings after the last escape from death. The occasional rumbling of the walls and ceiling would cause Danny’s muscles to tense in anticipation. Kirsch now took the lead, navigating through the maze of underground tunnels as Danny followed closely behind him. He came to a sudden halt and put his arm out in a motion to stop the other Nord. She nearly ran into him and had to stop herself from slipping off of the edge of the pathway. She looked down to see a ten foot drop in the stone path, a rushing river gurgling at the bottom. Kirsch gave a small smirk before pulling a rusty lever on the wall next to him. A wooden bridge collapsed across the bridge with a groan, and the two Nords broke into a run once again. 

After darting through multiple stone tunnels, the young warriors came upon a large clearing in the path. A tunnel formed directly on the other side of the clearing, indicating the direction of the path.  
“Hang on,” Kirsch spoke out, stopping in the middle of the clearing. He put his hand upon his knees, leaning forward and taking ragged breaths.

“Tired, Zeta?” Danny mocked as she came to a halt in front of him. Her chest heaved as she took in air, her face and shoulders drenched in sweat. She dropped her sword and crossed her arms to relax. She looked down at the Nord boy, a smirk appearing on her face.

The Stormcloak’s eyes suddenly grew wide, his pupils dilating as he watched something behind Danny.

“Hey, uh,” Kirsch whispered, his voice cracking, “Turn around. That sword would come in handy right about now.” 

Danny felt her stomach drop. With as little movement as possible, she bent down to the floor, watching Kirsch as she carefully picked up the hilt of her sword. Kirsch’s eyes were still fixated on something behind her, as if to distract it. She carefully rose to a standing position, craning her neck to see what was behind her.

A massive frostbite spider observed the Nords mere feet away. Its beady eyes watched the Nord boy intensely, and slimy venom dripped from its mouth.

Danny took swift movements, approaching the spider and driving the sword into its back before it had a chance to project its venom. It gave out a muffled screech before slumping to the ground. Danny put a boot on the back of the dead creature, using the push of her leg to rip the sword out of the giant spider. She scrunched her face as she examined the blade, as it was covered in slime as well as blood.

Kirsch jumped to his feet quickly, his eyes still bulging. Danny could see that his hands were shaking.

“So you’re afraid of spiders,” Danny joked.

“No. No I’m not,” his voice wavered.

“You’re a fucking werebear.”

“Yeah. What gives?”

She wondered why she made the decision to help the Stormcloak in the first place.

Danny rolled her eyes and presumed to walk toward the dark tunnel on the other side of the clearing, not looking behind her to see if the other Nord was following. Eventually, her vision succumbed to the darkness of the path ahead. She could feel the walls closing in, and eventually had to turn sideways in order to fit through the slippery rock walls. She could hear Kirsch emitting muffled grunts as he struggled with the narrow passageway behind her. She silently hoped that she wouldn’t get stuck in the tunnel, specifically with Kirsch as a witness.

To Danny’s relief, the walls began to expand once again, giving the tall Nords more mobility. After many moments of silent maneuvering through the tunnel, Danny began to see definite shapes of the rocks that surrounded her. 

There must be light ahead.

She began to move faster. She would sometimes lose her footing on a rock and have to regain her balance. She felt a sharp sting on her shoulder as her skin grazed a sharp edge in the rock wall. Eventually, she could feel warmth from the morning rays of the sun on her skin. She looked up to see the morning light shining at the end of the tunnel.

“By the Gods, we made it,” Kirsch breathed.


	3. The Standing Stones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Through the Glass** by Atlas Genius

The two Nords stumbled out of the cave entrance to be greeted by the warm rays of the midday sun. Danny took in a deep breath of crisp mountain air, her muscles relaxing. The tall Skyrim pines quaked against the swift breeze, but still stood vigilant, as if to protect the weary adventurers. A fresh dirt path lay before them, daring them to travel on.

For the first time in years, Danny felt like she was truly home. A smile formed on her lips.

A deafening roar sounded from above.

“Wait!” Kirsch hissed, crouching down behind a nearby boulder. Danny dove for cover behind a spruce tree close by, just as the massive shadow covered the two adventurers. The jet black dragon completely covered Danny’s view of the clear sky as it sailed past them unaware. Danny jumped to her feet again, walking back the dirt path to watch the scaled beast fly over a large mountain in the distance and disappear over the horizon.

“He’s gone,” Kirsch spoke, rising from his hiding spot and watching the dragon alongside Danny. They stood there for a few silent moments, arms crossed. 

“I don’t think we should stick around to see if he comes back,” Danny finally responded.

“Yeah, come on,” Kirsch replied, setting off along the dirt path. The two walked side by side. Danny could hear a small creature scuttling in a large snowberry bush behind her, and she watched the bush curiously. A small rabbit hopped out, darting across the old dirt path and towards a grove of Skyrim pines. Danny couldn’t help but chuckle at the little creature. 

A long period of silence followed, and Danny could see Kirsch fiddling with his fur gloves.

“So, Zeta-Shield’s your name?”

“Eh, it’s an old name. Passed down by my forefathers for centuries. I’m proud to be ranked as one of them.”

“Never heard of it.”

Kirsch glared at her.

“It’s from an old bandit clan in the Reach. That’s probably why.”

“You were a bandit?” Danny implored, eyes lit up with a sudden curiosity.

“Born and raised by them. They’re gone now, all got slaughtered one night by a werebear. The killer was some new guy that joined up from Solstheim. That’s how I got, um,” he gestured to his body, “This.”

“Wow. You’re very… upfront about your past,” Danny swallowed nervously.

“Eh, it was a long time ago,” Kirsch scoffed, “I can hardly remember it, to be honest. I got lucky, though. An Orc hunter found me in the woods, their stronghold took me in until I was old enough to leave.”

_So that explains Narzulbur._

“Can you control it?” Danny asked.

“Huh?”

“Your lycanthropy.”

“Oh, yeah. Yeah. Orcs helped me with that. I’m pretty good, I can live in human society.”

She looked down at her silver ring. The wolf howled up at her, watching her with beady eyes. She put her arm behind her back quietly. 

“So, uh, what about you? On the run from the Thalmor, that’s got to be an interesting story,” Kirsch teased.

“None of your damned business.”

“Whoa, calm down, psycho.”

Danny stopped dead in her tracks. Kirsch took a few steps forward before realizing that Danny was no longer following him, and turned around to face her. Her eyes burned with anger, brows snapped together. Kirsch took a step back, shoulders slouched.

“Don’t think I’m going to share my life story just because we survived this. Consider yourself lucky that you know I’m a werewolf, but that’s as far as you’ll get, got it?” She growled, her fists clenched, “Don’t fucking ask me again.” 

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I got it.”

A long silence followed, and Kirsch began fiddling with his gloves again. The dirt path soon merged into a larger cobblestone path, which was much more worn than the trail that the carriage drivers had taken. The path curved along the mountainside, and Danny could hear the calming rush of a nearby river.

“Hey, I think I know where we are,” Kirsch finally spoke, surveying his surroundings, but not making eye contact with the other Nord, “We’re almost to Riverwood.”

Danny gave Kirsch a small nod. She was beginning to recognize the old trail as well, although faintly. It had been several years since she set foot in her home province. The path took a sharp turn as it snaked down the mountainside, and three engraved stones came into view. A roaring river rushed past the stones and into a large lake.

“The Guardian Stones,” Kirsch spoke again, turning to Danny, “Haven’t seen one of those in a long time. You know what they do?”

“Yeah, I know,” she finally replied, “We could use a blessing right about now.”

She walked up to the center of the stone platform that housed the stones, analyzing them curiously. The one in the center had a carving of an old man in mage robes, wielding the power of magic. The cuts in the stone that shaped the carving seemed to be connected like a constellation of stars. The stone to her left depicted a hooded figure, knife in hand, jumping as if to escape their fate. To her right, there was a depiction of a warrior clad in heavy armor, axe and shield in hand. Each stone had a large hole cut in the top, awaiting to give the Nord girl a blessing from the Divines.

Danny touched the palm of her hand into the stone to her right, and the carving of the warrior began to emit a faint glow. The light traveled throughout the carving, lighting up the spirals etched into the stone until it reached the hole in the top. A divine light encircled the hole like an orb, and shot a ray into the clear sky. Danny could feel calm sweep over her body as her muscles completely relaxed.

“Warrior, eh? Good. You’ll go far with that.”

Kirsch then took his turn on the same stone, pressing his palm up against the cool rock as it shined its divine light. Danny waited patiently until he released his hand, and they both set off again on the path. The trail now ran alongside the river, which flowed opposite of the way they traveled. Across the river, a tall mountain stood out as if to kiss the sky. Danny could see the shapes of broken black arches along its peaks.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing at the arches.

“Ah, that’s Bleak Falls Barrow,” Kirsch replied, “always gave me the creeps.”

“You seem to know this place pretty well.”

“I’ve traveled this way with my party before. Been all over Skyrim as a Stormcloak,” Kirsch explained. He then turned towards Danny, a playful light in his eye, “You should join up. Ulfric could use someone like you.”

Danny shook her head, “Let’s worry about getting to safety first.”

Kirsch nodded. The two followed the river path quietly, listening to the distant songbirds as they chirped at each other in the safety of the pine’s branches overhead. Danny realized that Kirsch was chuckling to himself.

“What?” she demanded.

“We’re on the run from a dragon. A fucking dragon. Nobody’s gonna believe us.”

“We’ll have to try, Zeta.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

The path took another turn, and a small village came into view. A wall protected the entrance, but no guards patrolled it. The houses were completely made of wood and thatched roofs, instead of the massive fort walls of Helgen. Danny imagined the giant black dragon circling the little village, the townspeople screaming and running like the Imperial soldiers had just hours ago. Danny closed her eyes, brows furrowed.

A dragon could torch the village without a second thought.

A muffled cry caused Danny to rip her eyes open again.

“Dragon! I saw a dragon!”


	4. Riverwood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Haunt** by Bastille

“What is it, mother?” Danny heard a Nordic man ask, carrying a stack of firewood in his hands.

“It was as big as the mountain and black as night! It flew right over the barrow!” An old woman cried, leaning against the wooden fence of her small home.

Danny let out a large sigh. The dragon wasn’t coming back.

“You’re going crazy, mother,” the Nordic man claimed, setting his stack of firewood next to the wooden door of their home. The pounding hammer of a blacksmith could be heard through the fenced-in porch of the home next door. Danny took a mental note of the blacksmith’s shop; she was going to need a better weapon than the sword she took from Helgen. Slime still dripped from the blade, landing on the old cobblestone trail that cut through the small village.

“She’s not crazy,” Kirsch spoke up, catching the Nord’s attention, “A dragon just attacked Helgen. It’s been destroyed.”

The Nord’s eyes widened, walking up to the two fugitives, “By Talos, are you serious?”

“I can barely believe it, and I was there. You have a Nord’s word,” The Stormcloak spoke, his brow furrowed. The Nord looked over at his mother and back at Kirsch, his eyes round with realization.

“A real… live….” He began to murmur to himself. The steady pounding of the hammer next door came to an abrupt halt. A wood elf was walking across a wooden bridge to Danny’s left, watching the two travelers with curious eyes. A Nordic woman and her husband were walking down the main road, eyes boring into Danny. She crossed her arms as if to hug her stomach.

“I heard a roar overhead a while ago,” a gruff voice spoke out, “Thought it was nothing, but maybe I was wrong.”

Danny could see a bearded man leaning against the blacksmith house, a dirty black apron covering his clothes. His face and hands were covered in soot, and his gleaming eyes watched the conversation a few feet away from him. Two young children’s eager footsteps could be heard racing down the main road, a barking dog trotting behind them. The children pushed hurriedly by the crowd of adults that was beginning to form around the two fugitives, eyes sparkling with newfound adventure.

“Was it big? Did it breathe fire?” the little girl begged, grabbing at the baggy pants of Danny’s scaled armor.

“Oh yeah, bigger than a house, kid,” Danny replied, smiling down at the young girl.

The little boy, most likely her brother, pulled out a wooden sword that had been sheathed by his side, waving it about clumsily in the air.

“I dare the dragon to come back. I’ll kill it myself!” he declared, the toy sword thrust into the air, “Riverwood’s under my protection!”

Danny shivered, looking down at the boy with wide eyes. _You don’t want him to come back, little one_ , she wanted to say, but her lips were sealed shut.

“What’s a Stormcloak doing in Imperial territory?” A Nord woman declared menacingly, pointing a finger at Kirsch. Kirsch took a step back, putting a hand on his chest. 

“We were captured by the Imperials. Ulfric too, but that doesn’t matter. A dragon’s on the loose, and Helgen’s gone,” Kirsch explained hurriedly. A hush fell over the crowd, which soon grew loud again with hushed, hurried voices and frantic, darting eyes. Danny could feel her heart racing, and her legs began to shake. She suddenly felt very claustrophobic, as the crowd of villagers enveloped her, imploring her with questions.

“Where did it come from?”

“I don’t-” Danny began, her voice cracking.

“How did you escape?”

“What did it look like? How many soldiers did it kill?”

_The black scaled dragon watched her from his stone porch, red eyes glinting at the young Nord. She could almost swear that he was smiling._

“Is Ulfric alive? What about Tullius?”

_The dragon let out a mighty roar, and fire engulfed her body. The cut on her shoulder stung._

“Did the dragon really destroy it all? A whole town, gone?”

Danny shook her head, desperately trying to hold her tears back. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek, illuminated blue by her hungry eyes.

“The war would have been over if not for that damned dragon!” the woman screeched again, looking straight at Danny with malicious eyes, “Stormcloak scum!”

 _The image of her old farm appeared in her mind. She could see her younger self run up to her father, a large bearded man who was clad in Stormcloak bear armor, and hug him around his knees. After a long period of silence, the little girl let go of her father and ran back to her mother, reaching for her hand. The tall Nordic farmer gladly took the young girl’s hand, their ginger hair both messy from a hard day’s work._  
She could feel her canines turning to fangs, and her eyes began to glow.

“STORMCLOAK SCUM!!” The woman shrieked again, “You have only brought death upon us! Now a dragon’s on the loose!”

_The little girl shrieked as she let go of her mother’s hand. Flames engulfed the Nord’s mind, red like her mother’s hair. Whether it was Helgen or the farm, dragon fire or man-made, she couldn’t be sure._

She felt someone place a firm hand on her shoulder. She whipped her head back to see the blacksmith, his eyes kind and comforting. Her fangs receded at the man’s gaze.

“Calm down, everyone. Give these young’uns some space, they’ve had a rough day.” The blacksmith bellowed, resting his other sooty hand on Kirsch’s armored shoulder. He steadily pushed the two young Nords through the crowd, and Danny gratefully used the opportunity to escape the villager’s questions. He let go of them once they had broken through the mob, and walked in between the two of them along the main road. She turned to see that Kirsch’s eyes were swollen and had a soft tint to them, and his shoulders drooped as he walked alongside them. She wasn’t the only one who had felt threatened by the mob of villagers.

“Come, let’s go to the inn,” the blacksmith suggested to the adventurers, “We can talk in there. The name’s Alvor. Drink’s on me.”

“Thanks,” Kirsch breathed. Danny turned behind her to see that the villagers were now going their separate ways, many of them still muttering to each other in panicked tones, although some still stood at the entrance wall of the city, talking amongst themselves and watching the fugitives as they approached the inn. Danny looked up to see a wooden sign hanging off of the porch of a large wooden house. It read “Sleeping Giant Inn”, and it flapped calmly in the steady breeze. Alvor stepped in front of the two Nord adventurers and opened the old door with a creak.

Danny immediately felt warmth enter her body when she stepped inside the old inn. A roaring fire sat in the center of the inn, and a bar with multiple wooden stools sat near the back. Tables lined along the edges of the walls where there were no doors that opened to rooms for the guests, and wooden chairs were placed near the fire. A drunk Nord eyed them suspiciously from his chair, his orange beard wet with mead. An innkeeper swept the floor in front of the bar, whistling softly as he worked. Alvor took a seat in front of him at the table, and Danny and Kirsch took seats next to each other against the wall on the wooden bench opposite of Alvor.

“Orgnar!” Alvor hollered over at the innkeeper sweeping the floor, “Three rounds of Honningbrew!”

“Got it,” Orgnar responded, setting his broom against the wall.

“Thanks, sir,” Kirsch spoke, resting his arms against the table.

“Not a problem, lad,” the blacksmith spoke, analyzing the soldier’s armor, “I’m not one to support the Stormcloaks, but with a dragon of the loose, I guess it doesn’t really matter now.”

Kirsch gulped, “Uh yeah, about that…”

Kirsch jumped into the story, explaining how his party had gotten captured and sent to Helgen for their execution. The blacksmith leaned towards the two young travelers, listening intensely. He occasionally stopped the Stormcloak in his story and would ask Danny a question or two pertaining to how she ended up in the cart, but they were simple and easily answered questions compared to the questions of the other villagers. Danny could suddenly feel tiredness creep up on her, and she soon tuned out of Kirsch’s story. She spotted another innkeeper, a young Imperial girl that seemed to be around Danny and Kirsch’s age. Her curly black hair was wrapped neatly in a bun, but her long bangs still covered part of her face. She exchanged a few words with Orgnar before taking three tankards of mead from the bar, and carefully walked towards Danny’s table. The Imperial caught Danny watching her, and gave her a little smirk before setting the mead down on their table.

“Here you are, cutie,” she spoke to the three Nords, giving Danny a quick glance before walking back to the bar. Kirsch furrowed his brows at the innkeeper girl before continuing on his story.

Danny noticed the innkeeper as she picked up an old flute from the bar that Orgnar tended, then preceded to lean against one of the wooden pole supports of the inn not far from there table. The girl then put the flute to her lips, playing a soft song and listening in to Kirsch’s story. As Alvor and Kirsch were in deep conversation, they were oblivious to the girl listening in. Danny shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

“So,” Alvor finally spoke, drawing in Danny’s attention, “What will you do now?”

“I’m gonna wait here for a few days, see if any Stormcloaks come up the road. I’ll head back to Windhelm after that. Ulfric had to have made it out alive, and he’ll need to know that we survived the attack,” Kirsch explained to the blacksmith. He now turned to Danny, a grin spreading on his face, “You can come with us. Ulfric could use someone like you.”

The flute continued to play, but the innkeeper now retreated towards the bar, away from the conversation. Danny eyed her suspiciously, then looked back at Kirsch.

Danny shook her head, “I can’t. I came to Skyrim to find my father, and that’s what I intend to do. I can’t join just yet.”

Alvor looked up at the Nordic girl, his eyebrows raised, “Say, could you do Riverwood a favor?”

Danny looked the blacksmith directly in the eye, “I’d be honored, sir.”

“Riverwood is defenseless with the dragon on the loose. The Jarl of Whiterun needs to know it, and he could be convinced to send more guards here in case it came back. Could you do this?”

Danny nodded, a smile forming on her lips, “Yeah, of course I can. I might hear news of my father there too,” she turned back to Kirsch, “If not, I’ll meet you at Windhelm.”

Kirsch pounded his fist against his chest again, and Danny rolled her eyes. She didn’t particularly enjoy the idea of meeting Kirsch at Windhelm, but she was guaranteed information on her father if she went to Ulfric himself.

“I’ll get you two some supplies then,” Alvor claimed, rising from his table, “I’ll pay for your rooms for the night. I’d suggest you sell some of your junk off to Lucan Valerius at the Riverwood Trader to get some gold in the morning.”

“Thank you,” Danny spoke up, looking at the blacksmith.

“No worries, girl. You’ve done a service warning us about the dragon, and you’ve yet to do another in Whiterun. Get some rest, both of you. You’ve earned it,” He told them, and then left the table and approached Orgnar at the bar. He purchased the rooms and then walked across the inn to the front door, saying his goodbyes as the door closed with a thud.

“Man, we got lucky,” Kirsch said, “You don’t find that sort of kindness in Skyrim anymore.”

“Yeah,” Danny paused, looking at the bottom of her tankard, now empty. She rose from the table as well, looking down at the Nord boy, “I’m getting some sleep. I’ll need the rest for tomorrow’s trip.”

“Right. G’night, psycho.”

Danny gave Kirsch a smile before walking up to the bar. Orgnar held a wet cloth, and was scrubbing the wooden surface of the bar with force.

“Which room’s mine?” She asked him, and Orgnar looked up from his work.

“First one to the left,” he spoke, tilting his head to the direction of the room before returning to his work. Danny walked up to her room and opened the groaning wooden door. It was a small room, with a wooden bed made of straw and animal hide, and a small dresser and a chair that lay beside it. She shut the door and plopped down on the bed, not realizing how exhausted she had been until she was left alone. Her limbs were too tired to even take off her armor to put on more comfortable clothes. Without struggle, the Nordic girl fell into a deep sleep, the cut on her shoulder still stinging from the day’s events.


	5. On the Road to Whiterun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Human** by Of Monsters and Men (Danny's Theme)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to Danny’s sword design from the mod “The Thegn” on the Skyrim Nexus by InsanitySorrow.

The door to The Riverwood Trader opened with a loud creak. The tall Nordic girl stepped out of the little store, exchanging a few quick goodbyes with the siblings that lived there before closing the door. She welcomed the warmth of the morning sun as it climbed over the mountains, and the dew made her boots wet when she walked. She carried a small fur backpack, which held food, supplies, and the gold that she had gained by selling her old sword from Helgen. A fur tent and a bed roll had been rolled and packed close together, and hung off of the fur backpack. An axe for chopping wood was also attacked to the side of the pack. Due to her sudden popularity with the town, the owner of the Riverwood Trader had given her a good sum of money for the sword, perhaps as a way of giving his thanks for the task ahead. 

“Hey, you heading for Whiterun?” the gruff voice of Alvor could be heard from across the main road. He leaned against his wooden house, nearby his porch that held the blacksmith’s forge.

“Yeah, I’m taking off,” she said, walking into the road, “I was wondering if I could buy some weapons.”

“Not a problem. In fact,” Alvor spoke up, reaching down to his side, “I made this not too long ago. It’s yours for fifty septims.”

Danny could hear the sound of a blade unsheathing as Alvor pulled the sword out from the hilt on his side. He held the sword in the palm of his hands. It was a light and simple blade, with a small leather hilt. Danny took the sword by the hilt, analyzing the metallic blade as it reflected the light of the rising sun. 

“Wow,” Danny spoke, inspecting the sword, “This has to be more than fifty.”

“Consider it a gift.”

“I couldn’t. You’ve helped me so much already, I couldn’t ask any more from you.”

The blacksmith looked at her, his eyes clouded. Danny realized that they must have been the same height, as they could both look each other in the eye directly. She wasn’t used to seeing people her height now that she had finally returned to her homeland.

“I remember when I was a young lad,” the blacksmith began, “When I first left my family, adventuring across Skyrim. The feeling of discovery and excitement tingling under your skin. I wish I was young again,” he paused, then took the sword from Danny, putting the shining blade back into its hilt. He took the hilt off of his belt, and carried the sheathed sword in both hands.

“You have quite the adventure ahead of you, girl, especially with these dragons about. Go to the Jarl, save our little village. This is just the beginning of your adventure, and I want this sword to guide you through your struggles. As a blacksmith, it would be my honor.” 

Danny nodded, digging into her fur pack for gold. Eventually, she was able to find fifty septims, buried in her stash of supplies. She handed the money to him with her right hand, where his left hand took it gratefully. In his right hand, he held up the sword in its hilt, and Danny grabbed the hilt with her left hand. She could feel the cold metal on her skin, but it was oddly comforting to her. She attached the hilt to the belt of her armor proudly.

“Thank you,” she breathed, overcome by the man’s kindness.

“Come on, I’ll show you the way to Whiterun,” Alvor exclaimed.

The two walked down the main road as the blacksmith gave her the directions to her next destination. As they passed the Sleeping Giant Inn, Danny noticed Kirsch leaning against the porch, clad in his Stormcloak armor. His mace hung limply from his belt as he surveyed the main road. His eyes eventually focused on Danny and the blacksmith.

“Did you come out to see me go?” Danny asked, surprised.

“What? Uh, no! No…” Kirsch stammered. Danny stifled a laugh.

“Right. See you around, Zeta.”

“Yeah, yeah. Later, psycho.”

Danny could hear Alvor chuckling to himself.

“Thanks again, for everything,” Danny remarked, turning to the blacksmith, “Really, I couldn’t thank you enough.”

“You’re always welcome here in Riverwood,” Alvor replied, “If your travels ever bring you back here, you could always visit me.”

Danny smiled.

“Go, lass. Adventure awaits,” the blacksmith spoke, “May the Divines guide you.”

With that statement, the blacksmith left Danny’s side, and she watched him quietly as he walked down the main road opposite of her, towards his forge. She looked back at Kirsch, who gave her a small nod of approval. She took a deep breath.

_Adventure lies ahead._

She walked under a large guard bridge, which marked the town limits. A stone bridge awaited her, giving her safe passage across the rushing river. Once she had crossed, a wooden post stood tall against the cobblestone path. She read the multiple signs attached to the pole, all pointing in separate directions. Eventually she spotted a sign that read “WHITERUN”, and it pointed towards the path that followed the river. She took that path, listening to the gushing water as it roared by her. She welcomed the cool mountain air that blew through the tall pines, making her long ginger hair flow back. She turned a few harsh corners in the mountainside, and spotted a deer eating the grass peacefully across the river. The deer then noticed her and looked straight at the Nord, motionless. They watched each other for moments as Danny continued to follow the cobblestone path, and the deer leapt into the woods and out of sight.

Danny turned another sharp corner to see the river had turned into a gushing waterfall. She walked on the trail beside it, admiring the beauty of it as it crashed into the valley below. She looked ahead to see a huge massive city in the distance, alone against the vast tundra plains. Surrounded by strong stone walls, it rose along a gradual hill. The Jarl’s palace clearly stood out amongst the rest of the city, sitting at the highest point and towering over the buildings that surrounded it. Excitement stirred within the young Nord, and she began to walk at brisk pace along the old trail.

She took another turn in the road, and she could see that it winded down the mountainside and into the valley. However, a line of Imperial soldiers headed up the path. She felt sudden panic. Her amulet of Talos could clearly be seen around her neck. She began to fiddle with it, completely covering the pendant with her hand. She watched the line of Imperials as they walked by her, and they eyed her cautiously. After a few moments of nervous fidgeting, the line of soldiers had walked past the Nordic girl. She sighed with relief, uncovering her amulet as she walked into the Whiterun valley. She reached behind her neck, carefully taking off the amulet. She analyzed it in the palm of her hand, a copper symbol against her pale skin. She pocketed the amulet once she turned left in the fork in the trail towards the walled city; she couldn’t risk showing it in Imperial territory. 

The smell of honey and alcohol entered her nostrils as she passed by one of the buildings that dotted Whiterun’s landscape outside of the protected walls. A wooden sign was attached to one of the old buildings that read “Honningbrew Meadery”. A guard passed by her, clad in yellow armor. His shield had the symbol of a mare engraved upon it, the symbol of Whiterun. His face was covered by his iron helmet. Danny gave him a small nod as she walked by.

“No lollygaggin’,” the guard remarked.

She looked behind her to watch the guard, her brows furrowed. The Nordic girl shrugged her shoulders and faced towards the road again. 

The sun began to set over the fortress city, illuminating it softly with oranges and pinks. Danny passed by a small farm, its windmill turning slowly in the distance. She noticed an older Nord tending to what looked like potato plants, humming while he worked. She took a turn right on the main path, towards the towering stone walls that loomed ahead of her. A stable sat to the right of her, and she could hear the chatter of a stable boy and his father. The horses watched her with beady black eyes. She walked past the stable and across a wooden bridge, a small creek flowing beneath it. The path now began to climb the bluff that she stood upon, and guard towers surrounded her in every direction. After walking through the first stone entrance, she heard the sudden clang of a wooden drawbridge hitting the path from the second stone wall. 

_Talk about strategic defense._

She turned the corner from the drawbridge, seeing the massive wooden door build into the great walls, at least thirty feet high. Two guards stood by it, and the one to the left of the entrance walked up to the Nordic girl, his hand grasping his sheathed sword on his belt. He held a smoking torch in his right hand, as it was beginning to grow dark.

“Halt!” the guard commanded, “City’s closed with the dragons about. Official business only.”

“I have news from Helgen,” Danny replied, straightening her posture, “About the dragon attack. Riverwood needs help.”

“Riverwood’s in danger too? All right, I’ll let you in. You’ll find the Jarl in Dragonsreach, atop the hill.”

“Thanks,” Danny acknowledged, walking past the guards and pushing open the massive gates.

Entering Whiterun, she could see that there were many buildings laid out close to each other, hugging the cobblestone road that split in two directions. The one that continued in front of Danny seemed like the better choice, as it was better illuminated in the ascending darkness. She passed by a blacksmith shop, where the Imperial blacksmith muttered quietly to a Nord, who proudly wore his Imperial armor. She passed by the shop as well as a few houses, observing the townspeople around her. A skinny man walked past her, carrying a stack of chopped wooden logs. A young girl ran by her feet, scurrying into the street towards one of the many market stalls in the town center just ahead. Danny eventually arrived at the center of the city, surrounded by shops and stalls.

“Ripe fruit for sale! Crisp as a winter’s morning!”

“Lovely jewelry for your lady! Crafted by the best blacksmith in Whiterun!” an old woman cried out.

“Tired of bread and stew? Had enough of fish and fowl? Treat yourself and your kin to a choice cut of steak or a tender rack of ribs!”

Danny turned to see a young Nordic man leaning against one of the supports that held a trading goods store. He had blonde hair and wore iron armor, and he observed the people as they scurried about the stores and market stalls. It was completely dark outside now, the only light coming from the torches of the city. She would have to visit the Jarl tomorrow.

“Hello, there,” Danny spoke to the Nordic man beside her, “Where could I get a room here? Maybe something to eat?”

“You’ll want the Bannered Mare,” the man spoke, pointing at a building across the town center.

“Thanks,” Danny replied before walking towards the inn. She passed an old well in the center of the town before walking up the wooden steps of the inn. A small porch lay to her left, and a few nobleman sat together at a table, talking merrily with tankards full of mead. She reached the entrance and pushed open the little door to the inn, taking one last look at the black sky.

The Northern Lights had come out, and they blazed down at her with fiery purples and pinks. She took one last look at the night sky before entering the crowded inn.


	6. The Mercenary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Geronimo** by Sheppard (Laura's Theme)

The sounds of conversation and lute music assailed Danny’s ears as she shut the door of the Bannered Mare. It had a similar setup to the inn in Riverwood, but it was much nicer and well kept. There were also a significant amount of people in the inn, some drinking by the fire in the middle of the inn and talking amongst themselves merrily, some eating silently on tables and chairs that hugged dark corners. A dark elf clothed in black robes sat in one of these corners, sipping his wine carefully. A hearty Nord man clad in heavy armor and a large shield cheered on the rowdy bard, who sang old Skyrim tales to the crowd. The smell of alcohol and smoke from the burning fire wafted to her nose.

Danny approached the bar, which sat to the right of the noisy inn. A Nordic woman tended it, quietly conversing with a few travelers that sat upon the barstools.

“Could I get a room?” Danny asked, digging for coins in her pocket, “And maybe something to eat?”

The innkeeper looked up at her, “Oh? Yeah, room’s ten septims. Directly upstairs. We’ve got some stew cooking in the kitchen, if you want some. With a pint of mead it’ll be another seven septims. Name’s Hulda, if you need anything.”

“I’ll take it,” Danny replied, placing seventeen gold coins on the bar table. The innkeeper pocketed the gold and replaced it with a tankard of mead, which Danny took gratefully.

“Saadia, dear! Give the girl a helping of the stew!” Hulda yelled across the inn, where an archway opened into a small kitchen. Danny could see a Redguard woman working at another lit fire surrounded by cupboards of supplies. The Redguard gently stirred the stew in a large pot over the fire.

Danny wandered around the inn, looking for a place to sit. She could see a seat directly opposite of a tough Nordic woman in steel plate armor, who watched her with a gleam in her eye. She knew the woman was looking for a fight, but after her experiences at Helgen, that was the last thing Danny felt like doing. She scanned the crowd until she noticed a small table and two chairs that hugged the wall to the left, near the entrance of the kitchen. It was one of the few tables that were brightly illuminated, as it was close to the fire in the center. A small Breton girl sat in one of the seats, clad in hide armor. She looked as if she was Danny’s age, although considerably shorter; she couldn’t have seen more than twenty years of her life. She observed many of the travelers and warriors staying at the inn just as Danny did, a gleam of wonder in her hazel eyes. Her straight, mousy brown hair fell on to her light skinned shoulders as the girl scanned the room, her face eager. 

Danny could talk with this girl for a while. She doubted that she could cause any trouble.

“Is anyone sitting here?” Danny smiled at the girl, pointing at the empty seat beside her. The girl whipped her head around, as if she had been woken from a daydream.  
“Oh! Um, no. You can sit here,” the Breton girl spoke hurriedly, “Sorry. Nice to meet you! I’m Laura.”

“I’m Danny,” the Nord replied, trying to start a conversation, “You from around here?”

“Yup. Born and raised here in Whiterun. How about you?”

“Eh, I’m a traveler. I was born in Skyrim, but I’ve been away for a long time. I missed this place.”

The Redguard woman walked over to the wooden table and set bowl of beef stew in front of Danny. The smell of cooked meat wafted in the air, and Danny muttered her thanks before digging into her meal. She hadn’t had a decent meal since the dragon attack.

“So, what are you doing in Whiterun?” Laura asked.

Danny looked up at her meal, “Heading up to Dragonsreach in the morning. Riverwood needs protection with the dragon on the loose.”

Laura looked up from her emptying tankard of mead, her eyes wide.

“You know about the dragon?”

“I was at Helgen when it attacked.”

Laura nearly dropped her tankard.

“No.”

“Yes. Almost got my head cut off by the Imperials, if not for that dragon. I can hardly believe it either.” 

Laura paused, leaning back in her chair.

“If you don’t mind me asking… I don’t want to push you on it or anything, but…” Laura began to ask, watching Danny with round eyes, “What was it like? The dragon, I mean.” The Breton girl sunk back in her chair, eyebrows furrowed, as if she had said something wrong. 

“No, it’s okay. It’s fine,” Danny insisted. After dealing with the intrusive villagers in Riverwood, she was more than happy to open up to the eager girl. The Nord sat forward in her chair, thinking to herself for a moment.

“It was huge, bigger than the inn, black as the night. Like the whole of the Void had come to swallow the earth,” she muttered solemnly. Laura nodded to her, taking a sip of mead. Danny felt an overwhelming calm of Laura’s reaction. Young and naïve as she was, she seemed to understand.

“This is kind of random, but I was wondering,” Laura began, stuttering a little, “If you, um… Need some help up at Dragonsreach? I’m a mercenary. My dad’s a blacksmith, he works for the Whiterun guard, so he had them train me. I promise I won’t be a burden.”

“Thanks, but I don’t have the money to hire you. The Imperials took most of my belongings when I got captured.”

Laura gave a little smirk, “No money needed.”

Danny looked straight at her, her eyebrow cocked in disbelief, “You must be new at this business.”

Laura gulped, her eyebrows furrowed, “Well, yeah, but…. I need to get out of here. I’ve never left the hold before, I need to see Skyrim for myself. I barely convinced my dad to let me be an adventurer, but at this rate if I don’t get hired soon he’ll make me be one of the priestesses in the Temple of Kynareth just up the road. I don’t want to be a healer, I want to see the world for myself!” Laura paused, looking up at Danny with big eyes, “My dad’s a bit, well, overprotective. I’m not a little girl anymore, I can take care of myself.”

Danny shook her head, “I see where you’re coming from, kid, but you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Are you kidding? You’re at the front of all this dragon business. This is the perfect opportunity! Who knows where the dragons will take us?”

Danny looked down at her silver ring, the jaws of the wolf engraved upon it howling up to her face.

_That’s not what I meant._

She looked up at the Breton girl. Laura’s face was radiant, as a huge grin spread across her face and puffed out her cheeks. Her eyes were wide with excitement, eager for the notion of adventure ahead. Danny had seen so many young adventurers like this. So many of them found only death. She fidgeted with the ring on her hand under the table; now that she had it, she knew she couldn’t really hurt Laura. She looked back at Laura.

Even if she didn’t hire her, nothing was going to stop this girl from finding adventure. She might even take off into the wilds on her own if it came down to it. Even though she had just met her, she felt a rush of motherly instinct fill her heart.

At the least, she could protect her.

“Alright, you’re hired,” Danny responded. Laura’s already round eyes shined, and she gave a little fist pump in victory. Danny laughed to herself, “We head to Dragonsreach first thing in the morning, got it?”  
Perhaps she could use some company.  
\------------------------------------------------------

The door of the Bannered Mare opened with a loud groan, and the two adventurers walked out into the busy marketplace of the early morning. Helgen had only been destroyed two days ago, but to Danny it felt like years had gone by. The Nord and the Breton pushed through the crowd of the marketplace, hearing the calls wares in the distance. They walked up a set of stone steps and arrived in front of a massive tree. Danny came to an abrupt halt, observing the tree. Its ancient white branches tangled into the sky, but there were no leaves or flowers that sat upon them.

“That’s the Gildergreen Tree,” Laura explained, looking up at the dead branches, “The priestesses say it’s dying, but they don’t know why. It’s kind of sad.”

“Your dad wanted you to be a priestess, right?” Danny asked, looking down at the Breton.

“Yeah, he thought it was a safe path for me. I trained under them for a while. Helped tend to the tree too. It’s sacred to Kynareth,” Laura told the Nord, pausing to look up at her, “It’s not a bad life, but I’m not that religious. There’s no excitement to it, really.”

“I understand,” Danny spoke, looking back at the dying tree, “Stuck in that temple all day, taking care of an old plant. Where’s the fun in that?”

Laura laughed, a big grin spreading across her face, “Come on, let’s go. I’ve never been in Dragonsreach before.”

“Me neither. This should be new for both of us.”

They walked around the ancient tree, where a series of stone steps lead to the giant palace on the top of the bluff. The two adventurers passed by multiple guards as they climbed the steep steps, marveling at the massive structure above them. A few guards gave passing remarks to Laura, and she greeted them with bright smiles. Danny couldn’t help but smile as well.

The two women eventually reached the top of the stairs, and walked across a long wooden plank covered in Nordic arches. They walked up to the huge wooden door, and Danny looked down at Laura too see her fidgeting with the leather strap on her shoulder.

“Hey, no worries,” Danny told her, giving her a comforting smile. She pushed one of the doors wide open to reveal columns of regal supporting poles, shadows dancing against them from the blazing fire pit in the center of the palace. Long tables lined the palace, and Danny could see a blonde Nordic man speaking urgently with a scrawny noble in his throne.

“There’s the Jarl,” Laura whispered as they approached the roaring fire, light dancing off of her face. She looked up and suddenly stood paralyzed. Danny looked in front of her to see a dark elf approaching them, her sword raised at the two women. Out of instinct, Danny grasped the hilt of her sword, but did not unsheathe it. Both women stood tall against the dark elf, although Laura was not quite tall enough to look the elf in the eye.

“What’s the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors,” the dark elf stated, her sword raised.

“We have news from Helgen,” Danny explained, not backing down, “About the dragon. Riverwood is in danger.”

“You know about Helgen?” the Dark Elf asked, eyebrows raised, “The Jarl will want to speak to you personally. Follow me.” She sheathed her sword, and Danny could see Laura’s shoulders relax. The two walked behind the Dark Elf, who led them up the steps and toward the Nordic man who sat on the throne. The Jarl laid back comfortably in his throne, observing the two women as they approached them. They both bowed their heads at the older man for a moment before looking back at him.

“So,” the man began, “You two were at Helgen? You saw this dragon with your own eyes?”

“Just me, sir,” Danny explained, taking a step forward, “The Imperials were about to execute Ulfric Stormcloak, but the dragon attacked and destroyed Helgen. As far as I know, a Stormcloak soldier and I were the only survivors. It flew over the barrow across from Riverwood, but it could come back.”

Laura looked at her with wide eyes. Danny turned to face her for a moment. Laura mouthed “Ulfric” as she leaned towards the taller girl, her eyebrows raised in question. Danny nodded, and Laura took a step forward, looking back at the Jarl with astonishment written on her face.

“I should’ve known Ulfric was mixed up in this,” the Jarl muttered, turning to the scrawny nobleman that stood beside the throne, “What do you think, Proventus? Shall we trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?”

“My Jarl,” the Dark Elf cut in approaching the Jarl beside Danny and Laura, “We need to send troops to Riverwood at once. If that dragon is still lurking in the mountains…”

“We can’t! The Jarl of Falkreath will assume we’re preparing to join Ulfric’s side!” the nobleman declared. Danny groaned.

“I’ll not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people!” the Jarl roared at the nobleman, making him shrink back. Danny turned to Laura to see her crossing her arms, smirking at the two men. Danny gave her a teasing shake of her head; she had forgotten the annoyances of noblemen and royalty.

“Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once.”

“Yes, my Jarl,” the Dark Elf replied, leaving the conversation immediately. Danny watched her for a moment as she descended down the royal palace stairs and through the massive doors of Dragonsreach. She sighed with relief; Kirsch and Alvor were safe. The Jarl now turned to the tall Nord woman.

“You sought me out, on your own initiative. You’ve done Whiterun a service. Come, let’s find my court wizard, Farengar. He’s been looking into the matter of dragons and… rumors of dragons. He’ll want your full account of Helgen.”

“Yessir,” Danny replied. Nervousness clawed at her stomach as the Jarl rose from his throne, directing her to a large arch on the right side of the palace. She wasn’t keen on reliving the events of Helgen again. She looked down at Laura, who gave her a comforting smile. 

The Jarl and the two adventurers walked into the large arch to see a study room. The desk sat in the center, books strewn across its surface. A messy alchemy table and enchanter sat against the back wall, and a huge map of the Province was propped on a stand to the right of the desk. A robed man leaned against the desk, analyzing what seemed to be an old stone. Another hooded woman stood by him, listening carefully as he rambled, pointing at the markings on the stone. Danny couldn’t see the other person clearly, but strands of ebony black hair fell from her hood. The robed man looked up at the Jarl’s entrance, but the hooded woman took the stone and continued to analyze it, refusing to show her face.

“Farengar,” the Jarl spoke up to the wizard, “I think I’ve found someone for your dragon project. She was at Helgen.” The Jarl pointed a finger at the taller woman.

“Fascinating!” the wizard began, walking towards the Nord, “Did you get any samples? Scales, maybe?”

Danny looked up at the Jarl to see that he had left the wizard’s study. The hooded women continued to study the stone, writing notes down on parchment. 

She seemed… familiar.

“Um, I didn’t really get anything. That wasn’t really in my priorities at the time,” Danny mumbled.

“Damn. That would’ve been useful. It would be incredibly profitable to my studies if I could see this dragon up close…”

“Farengar!”

All four of them looked up as Irileth ran into the study, breathing heavily.

“A dragon’s been sited nearby! You should come at once,” the Dark Elf commanded, looking over at the two adventurers, “You should come too.”

Laura slowly turned her head up to look at Danny, her eyes round and skin pale. The Nordic girl felt her heart drop into her stomach at the news. She looked down, worry and nervousness clawing at her heart.

_What have I dragged this poor girl into?_

She had a million thought streaming through her mind. How would they kill a dragon? Would they even survive? What if Laura got killed on her watch? Could she hold something that heavy in her soul?

Laura was the first to speak.

“By the Divines, my dad’s gonna kill me.”


	7. Dragon Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Warriors** by Imagine Dragons
> 
> *Credit for Danny’s bow design from the mod “Unique Bows Collection” on the Skyrim Nexus by Artisanix. Danny’s bow is called “Hunter’s Roar” in the mod.

“A dragon! How exciting! Where was it seen? What was it doing?” the court wizard implored Irileth.

“I’d take this seriously if I were you,” the Dark Elf responded, “I don’t know if we can stop it if it attacks Whiterun. Come on, follow me!”

The Dark Elf led the mage and the two adventurers up a long flight of wooden stairs behind the Jarl’s throne. Danny looked behind her before following the group to see the hooded woman walking towards the giant doors of the palace entrance, the Dragonstone in her hand. Danny shook her head and took off after Laura; she couldn’t worry about the mysterious woman now. They raced up the stairs to see Jarl Balgruuf speaking urgently to a town guard. The group surrounded the conversation, all muscles ready to spring into action.

“Irileth tells me you came from the western watchtower?” the Jarl asked the guard.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Tell me about the dragon.”

“Uh, that’s right. It came from the south. It was fast… faster than anything I’ve seen.”

“Is it attacking the watchtower?”

No, it was just circling overhead when I left. Never ran so fast in my life. I thought it would come after me, for sure.”

“Good work, son,” the Jarl praised the guard, “Go down to the barracks for some food and rest. You’ve earned it.” The guard nodded to the Jarl before walking down the stairs and out of sight.  
“Irileth,” Balgruuf commanded, looking at the Dark Elf, “Gather some guardsmen at the main gate. Don’t fail me.” With that, Irileth raced down the stairs. Laura and Danny were the only two left, observing the events in the palace as they unfolded.

“There’s no time to stand idly by. Go with Irileth,” the Jarl spoke to the two young women. He now looked directly at Danny. “You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with dragons than anyone else,” he explained.

“Yessir,” Danny replied, and the two adventurers raced down the wooden steps after Irileth, leaving the Jarl alone. The two women did not speak as they raced across the palace, forcing the doors wide open to reveal the light of the midday sun. Wordlessly they ran down the long steps and past the dying Gildergreen, and into the thick of the marketplace crowds. They pushed against the mob of people, Laura constantly muttering her apologies until they had broken free on the other side.

“Barracks this way,” Laura breathed quietly, taking the lead. She was clearly faster and more flexible than the tall Nord, racing towards a small building adjacent to the main entrance. Ten guards stood in front of Irileth, who seemed to be delivering a speech about honor and glory. Danny knew it was useless; every guard was shaking to their core in fear. Laura ran past the gathering crowd and ripped the door of the barracks wide open.

_By the Gods, we’re not going to make it._

Danny followed Laura into the barracks, avoiding running into the guards who scurried for supplies.

“Thank the Gods my dad isn’t here,” Laura remarked before leading Danny to a huge line of weapon racks. “Watcha got for weapons?”

“A sword, that’s it,” Danny exclaimed, unsheathing it. It danced with light as she grasped it firmly in her hand.

“You’ll need more than that,” Laura told her, unsheathing her steel sword, “I’ve got mine here, and a few daggers.”

“We’re going to need bows. I’m a good shot,” Danny told her. She generally preferred the bow, as she used to hunt with her father as a young girl.

“Got it,” Laura told her analyzing the weapon racks.

“Are we allowed to take from here?” Danny asked.

“My dad made all of these. I don’t think he’ll complain about me taking his stuff if it’s for protecting myself,” she explained nonchalantly, picking two bows off of the racks. One was a standard issue Imperial bow, while the other was a longbow that looked of individual making. Its grip was made of iron, but it had intricate patterns swirling into it. The limbs were made of a rough wood, Danny guessed a Skyrim pine. Laura held the engraved longbow out to Danny, a smile appearing on her face.

“Here. You need this more than I do,” Laura stated. Danny took the bow by the grip, and took a soft pluck at the string. She gave her thanks to Laura before grabbing a large quiver of steel arrows that laid against a weapon rack. She quickly attached the longbow to the quiver and threw it over her back, fitting the strap around her so that it fit snug next to her fur backpack. She looked up to see that Laura was doing the same thing, as she tightened her strap to make it fit against her small frame. Danny quickly grabbed a steel shield that lay against a drawer, then walked up to Laura, a frown beginning to form on her face.

“What?” Laura looked up from her preparations.

“Stay here,” Danny told her.

“What? No!”

“This isn’t a little adventure anymore, Laura,” Danny explained, looking down at the Breton with sad eyes, “This is a dangerous stuff. I can’t let your first real fight be with a dragon. I need to…. No. No, I-I’ll go by myself. If I survive this I’ll come pick you up and we can leave.”

“No! Just because I’m new at this doesn’t mean I can’t go!” Laura fumed, looking up at Danny with furrowed brows, “I can take care of myself! I’m not daddy’s little priestess anymore, I know how to fight!”

“Laura, I didn’t say you couldn’t-”

Danny heard a sudden clash of metal, and her sword was forced out of her hand and flicked into air. The sword clattered onto the stone ground of the barracks, and Danny looked at it in surprise. She looked back at Laura, mouth open in shock. The Breton girl held out her sword in a sparring position, every muscle tense.

_She just disarmed me._

“I’m going to the tower,” Laura stated, her eyes alive with anger. Danny could tell that she was trying to seem threatening. “Are you coming with me or not?”

_Nobody disarms me._

Danny’s dropped jaw quickly turned into a smirk. She and Laura were going to get along nicely.

“Yeah, I’m coming. Come on, let’s go.” Laura gave Danny a sly grin before heading out through the door, sheathing her sword. Danny quickly picked up her sword that lay on the ground, following the little Breton.

The two women left the barracks quickly, only to see the group of guards following Irileth out of the open gate.

“Come on!” Danny yelled back at Laura before sprinting to catch up with the guards, who were beginning to break into a run towards the tower. They sprinted through the open gates and over the drawbridge until they caught up with the guards. Now at a jogging pace, they passed through the defense of stone walls and guard towers. A group a Khajiit merchants were beginning to set up camp outside of the wall. The cat-men watched the guards as they ran by, and Laura gave them a curious look before focusing back at the task at hand.

“Never met a Khajiit before,” Laura panted as she jogged alongside the Nord, “They seem like nice people.”

They soon passed the stables, and took a right turn on the cobblestone road. Danny could now see what remained of the watchtower, as huge columns of black smoke rose into the clear sky. Fear gripped her stomach again as she thought back to Helgen. There were multiple holes in the stone tower, filled with raging fire and black smoke.

_The stone wall blasted open in front of her, sending stones hurling in every direction. The dragon’s head was mere feet away as it roared fire into the stone tower. Kirsch hid next to her, fire reflecting off of his eyes, wide with terror._

Danny closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head. She couldn’t think about that now. The patrol eventually stopped behind a large boulder overlooking the tower, and the Dark Elf investigated the scene.

“No sign of any dragon now, but he’s been here. Spread out and look for survivors,” Irileth ordered.

“Stick with me,” Danny told the Breton. Laura gave a firm nod.

The group advanced on the watchtower, investigating the fallen and flaming rubble. Danny checked to make sure Laura was following her before heading towards the small archway into the tower. As they began to cross the broken stone bridge, a distressed guard ran out, covered in blood and sweat.

“No! It’s still here!” the guard warned the two women, “Hroki and Tor just got grabbed when they tried to make a run for it! Get back!”

A deafening roar sounded from the mountains to the south. Everyone froze in their search, looking up at the sky. A definite shape advanced towards them over the mountains, getting closer and closer by the second. Its leathery wings stretched out as if to touch two of the steep peaks on the horizon.

“Kynareth save us, here he comes again,” the guard muttered.

Danny looked back at Laura. The small Breton watched the sky, her eyebrows turned upward. She looked up at Danny, her eyes shining with fresh fear. She could see that she held her amulet of Kynareth in her palm.

“Hey, good luck out there,” Danny told her. Laura gave a weak smile.

“You too,” her voice cracked. They both looked up at the dragon again. Danny reached into her pocket, pulling out her amulet of Talos. She carefully wrapped the string around her neck, letting the pendant lie against her chest. Despite her trembling hands, she stood tall amongst the guards.

She had evaded death with a dragon before, she would do it again. Her eyes began to glow with a bestial hunger, letting her werewolf senses aid her. Laura took her bow off of her back, holding the grip tightly in her hand. Simultaneously, the guards began to do the same. As Danny prepared her bow, Laura nocked her first arrow, pulling the string back to her cheek and aiming at the sky. She let go of the string, letting the arrow sail towards the scaled beast. 

“FOR SKYRIM!!” Danny heard a gruff Nordic voice cry out, and the guards began unloading their arrows and the flying beast. Danny shot three arrows at the beast, and they landed neatly into the dragon’s scaled hide. It gave out a roar of pain, descending onto the party. The dragon hovered in the air for a moment, its massive wings sending gushes of wind into the faces of the Nords as kept itself in the air.

“Mah wah zey, joor!” It growled in the dragon tongue, “Taste my Thu’um! Hi fen ag.”

Danny nocked a steel arrow to her longbow, letting go of the string to place it straight into the exposed belly of the dragon. It let out a terrible screech before circling the skies again. Fire flowed from the monster’s jaws, and the watchtower began to crumble under the damage the dragon had done. Danny focused on the dragon as it circled overhead, until she saw a guard shooting from the top of the watchtower. 

“FUS!” the dragon shouted, sending a great wave of force from its jaws.

_**Fus. Force.**_ A voice translated in her mind.

_What?_

The tower finally gave way from the shout, sending the guard falling to his death under a pile of stone. Danny looked back at Laura, who watched the dragon for a moment before concentrating on the dragon again.

_Did she hear that too?_ Danny was forced to push the thought out of her mind when she heard another deafening roar from the dragon.

“Brit grah! I have forgotten what fine sport you mortals could provide!” he taunted.

Laura nocked another arrow, aiming straight at the dragon. Danny nocked an arrow into her longbow as well. At this rate, they weren’t going to shoot it out of the sky, she decided. Time slowed down around her as she let her senses take full control. She studied the flying beast and aimed carefully before letting go of the string. The steel arrow sailed through the air, impaling itself into the dragon’s eye. It let out an ear splitting roar before crashing into the rubble below. The dragon then raised its head, waving it back and forth in agony.

Danny looked back at Laura, who was looking and the beast in shock.

“Nice shot,” she breathed.

“Thanks,” Danny replied. The guards kept their distance from the dragon, still firing arrows at the beast. Danny attached her bow back to her quiver, picking up her steel shield from where she had dropped it on the stone bridge beside her.

“Danny, what are you doing?”

“Got a hold to save, Hollis. I have some experience with dragons, you know,” the Nord smirked before unsheathing her sword and charging towards the scaled beast. Laura screeched her name behind her, but Danny raised her shield in a full sprint, pushing her fears out of her mind. Now was not the time for fear.

“You dare challenge a dovah, joor? Hi fen aus,” the dragon laughed, its deep voice sending tremors under the ground that Danny sprinted upon.

Danny looked up to see the beast open his jaws in front of her, readying to spit fire upon the Nord. She rolled underneath the dragon as it shouted, feeling the heat of the fire singe her shoulders. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, her eyes a fiery blue. She struck her blade into the throat of the dragon under her, and blood gushed through its muddy scales as she slid it out. It let out a gargled screech.

She hadn’t felt this alive in years.

The dragon looked down at Danny, its jaws inches above her. Thinking quickly, she dropped her shield and used her bestial strength to jump, grabbing onto one of the dragon’s horns. He raised his head into the sky, trying to fling her off. She was tossed onto the dragon’s head, and held a firm grip on its horn. She took her sword and drove it into the top of the dragon’s skull. It let out a mangled screech before throwing her against a stone wall and into the dirt with a thrust of its head. Pain seared into her back and arm, but she quickly forced herself back up, grabbing her bow. Her vision was blurred for a moment, and she heard a massive thud against the ground that made the earth tremble. She stared at the ground for a moment, letting her vision come back into focus. Her bestial self retreated back into its depths, and she felt her body weaken. She felt a reassuring support against her shoulder, and turned to recognize the blurred facial features of Laura as she helped her regain her footing. 

She could see a bright light being emitted from Laura’s hand as she placed it on Danny’s back. The light gave her a sudden wave of strength and calm, and her vision came back into complete focus. As Laura performed the healing spell, she looked over at the scaly mass that was the dying dragon. She could hear its raspy last breaths, its jaws wide open. The guards surrounded it, dumbfounded.

She looked over at the little Breton, smiling weakly.

“You did it, Danny. You killed a dragon,” Laura spoke softly.


	8. Dovahkiin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Snake Eyes** by Mumford and Sons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for the sudden overload of Danny angst. :(

After Laura had healed Danny enough, they both approached the dragon. It still gave out raggedy breaths, but they were now shallow and fewer. Eyes once raging with fire now dimmed like an extinguished flame, as it looked up at the Nord. Danny’s sword still protruded from the beast’s skull, covered in blood but still glinting in the now descending sun. She walked up to the sword and put her foot against the dragon’s skull, using her strength to rip the sword out of the dragon. The beast let out a mighty groan, and it sat still.

“Is it dead?” a guard asked quietly. Laura nodded to the guard solemnly. Danny placed a hand on the dead dragon’s nose, feeling its scales. She felt intense heat at the touch, and her hand flew back instinctually.

“What… by the gods, it’s burning,” Laura exclaimed. 

“Gods above, what’s happening?” Danny heard a guard say. The entire group stepped away from the dead corpse as its scales began to burn and peel away, but Danny’s gut instinct told her to stay put. The flames of the dragon’s scales began to move towards Danny as they transformed into a gust of wind-like light, shining in purples and oranges as it encircled the Nord. Danny felt a sudden rush of adrenaline as the lights surrounded her, blowing through her hair like wind. They flowed through her body like a ghost, passing through her heart. Her soul stirred, as if waking up from a deep slumber.

As suddenly as the burning began, it had stopped, with only the great bones of the dead beast left to rot in the mud. The last bit of light passed through the Nord’s heart, and she took in a deep breath. Danny turned back to the crowd forming around the dead beast, a wave of calm washing over her. Laura looked up at her, her jaw dropped and eyes round. Danny couldn’t tell if it was awe or fear, but she silently hoped that it wasn’t the latter.

Danny suddenly snapped out of her daze when a guard approached her.

“I… I can’t believe it. You’re….. Dragonborn….”

“Dragonborn? As in the ancient Nord stories?” Danny asked, trying to regain focus. The bones of the dragon sat behind her, its empty socket staring into her back.

_Dragonborn, Dragonborn,_ she turned the word over and over in her mind. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. She could remember being tucked into bed by her mother every night, being told the legendary tales that every Nord family passed down to their children. The name sounded familiar, coming from her mother’s lips in her mind.

“What’s the Dragonborn?” Laura asked the guard curiously, taking a step towards Danny.

“Those with the dragon blood in ‘em, like old Tiber Septim himself. Chosen by the Divines themselves. Back when there were dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn would be able to slay dragons and steal their power,” He explained hurriedly, looking back at Danny, “That’s what you did, isn’t it? Absorb the dragon’s power?”

“I…” Danny began, looking around nervously, “I don’t know. I don’t know what happened.”

Laura walked over to Danny, giving the Nord’s hand a comforting squeeze with her own before standing next to her.

“Can you Shout?” another guard asked, “The way the dragons do?”

“I told you, I don’t know!” Danny retorted.

“I don’t need any of this Dragonborn business,” Irileth stepped forward, analyzing the dead beast, “This here’s a dead dragon. Now we know we can kill it. I’d advise you all to trust the strength of your arm over tales and legends,” she looked back at the Nord and the Breton, “You need to go to Dragonsreach at once. The Jarl will want to hear of our victory. We will continue to look for survivors.”

Danny nodded, her head spinning. She took off into the main trail, looking up at the lit halls of Dragonsreach in the distance. She was beyond grateful of Irileth to give her orders; she needed to get away from the scene. Laura followed her close behind, her eyebrows turned up in worry. After a few moments of silence walking along the trail, Laura motioned for the two to stop, and Danny turned to face her on the old cobblestone path, her head down.

“Hey, you doing alright?” Laura spoke softly, “That’s… That’s big news. Are you taking it alright?”

“I don’t know what to think,” Danny mumbled, “I don’t even know if I’m Dragonborn.”

“The guards said something about Shouting,” Laura asked carefully, as if she was trying not to pressure her, “Do you know what that means?”

“I think dragons speak in their language to use magic,” Danny explained, thinking back to the fight, “Like when he made the watchtower fall over. He shouted in his language and projected it into some sort of magic.”

_Fus. Force,_ she remembered. Her head jolted up, and Laura jumped in surprise.

“I heard a voice in my head!” Danny exclaimed, a barrage of thoughts filling her mind, “It translated what the dragon said. What he spoke to make the tower fall meant ‘force’… Hang on, let me try something.”  
Danny looked alongside the road to see an old deer skull; Danny assumed it was the remains of a sabre cat’s meal. She focused on the skull, thinking back to when she absorbed the dragon’s power. She could feel it in her soul, trembling, yearning to break free. She let in a deep breath, the Breton girl watching her closely.

“FUS!” Danny shouted, and the skull was sent flying back by a powerful force. A tree twenty feet away quaked violently. The Nord and the Breton looked at each other, understanding in their eyes.

_But I’m a werewolf. I’m a Thalmor fugitive. I’m not… I don’t deserve this._

Danny could feel tears sting her eyes. Laura’s eyes grew wide.

_I’m not a hero._

Laura was immediately at Danny’s side. She reached up to the tall Nord and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, standing on her toes. Danny had to bend down slightly so that she could hug her back, but she was more than grateful. They hugged in silence for several moments as Danny focused on calming herself down.

“Why would they choose me?” Danny finally choked out, her head leaning into Laura’s shoulder.

“I don’t know,” Laura spoke sadly, staring up at Dragonsreach as it was illuminated against the setting sun, “I guess we’ll have to find out.”

“You’ll still come with me?”

“Of course I’m coming with you! We just killed a dragon, Danny! We can do anything!”

“I’m dangerous.”

“No you’re not! Well, you are, but I mean, not to me.”

“No, Laura… well, I might as well tell you,” Danny let go of the mercenary’s embrace, holding out her left hand to reveal her ring, “Do you know what this is?” Laura crossed her arms, shaking her head.

“It’s the Ring of Hircine. It’s a powerful Daedric artifact that I acquired a long time ago, but… well, it keeps me in control.”

“In control of what?” Laura asked innocently, her hazel eyes glittering with worry. Danny’s eyes were swollen and red, but they still looked down at the other girl in surprise.

“You’ve never heard of Hircine?”

“No. I don’t know much about Daedra. I just know that their bad, and the priestesses wouldn’t speak of it.”

“He’s the Lord of the Hunt, the Father of Manbeasts. He created lycanthropy.”

Laura took a step back, her eyes wide.

_Don’t fucking start crying again, Lawrence._

“You’re a werewolf?”

“Yeah. And the Dragonborn now, too. I’m too powerful, Laura. It was selfish of me to even let you come. I’m too dangerous. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Danny…” Laura took a step forward, looking Danny directly in the eye, “I won’t judge you for what you are. You’re a good person, Danny. I’m gonna come with you, ok? We’re going to figure out this Dragonborn business.”

“You’re not afraid of me?” Danny looked down at the little Breton, surprised. She had told very few people of her secret, and those who weren’t manbeasts themselves would often try to kill her, or leave her in fear of being the next victim.

“Nope.” Laura looked at her, smiling. 

_You should be._

The earth gave a sudden jolt, and the steady breeze turned into a harsh wind. The two adventurers were thrown to the ground violently as a voice roared in the clouds.

“DOVAHKIIN!”

The earth sat still, and the wind subsided. Both women sat up, their eyes round in shock at the sudden quake.

“That was Shouting, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. We need to get the hell to Dragonsreach.”

The two adventurers jumped to their feet, running into the direction of the city lights of the towering palace.

\--------------------------

The front doors of the palace flew open as the two adventurers hurriedly walked inside. They stormed up the wooden steps, advancing on the Jarl’s court to bring the news.

“Good, you’re finally here. The Jarl’s been waiting for you,” the Jarl’s assistant exclaimed as they walked right by him without a word. Danny shook her head at him in disgust, and Laura gave out a small laugh. The hero and her mercenary may have had a few differences, but their distaste in nobles was not one of them.

Danny and Laura walked up to the Jarl, who leaned back on his throne. A strong Nordic warrior stood by his side, and eventually his scrawny assistant joined him.

“So, what happened at the watchtower? Was the dragon there?”

“We killed the dragon, but the tower was already destroyed when we got there. It’s completely collapsed,” Laura replied, her arms crossed.

“I knew I could count on Irileth. But… there must be more to it than that. Did something… strange… happen when the dragon died?” the Jarl asked.

_By the Divines, he knows._

“When it died… I absorbed some kind of power from it,” Danny spoke up. Laura looked up at Danny, her brow creased with worry. The Jarl’s eyebrows raised in interest.

“So it’s true. You’re Dragonborn. The Greybeards really were summoning you.”

“The what?”

“The Greybeards. Masters of the Way of the Voice. They live on the slopes of the Throat of the World, in High Hrothgar."

“What do they want with me?” Danny asked.

“Well, the Dragonborn is said to be gifted in the Voice- the ability to focus your vital essence into a Thu’um, or a Shout in our language. If you’re really Dragonborn, they’ll teach you how to use your gift.”

“The Greybeards haven’t summoned anyone in… centuries, at least. Not since Tiber Septim was summoned when he was still Talos of Atmora!” the Nordic warrior butted into the conversation, his eyes wide with excitement.

_That’s right. Talos used to be Dragonborn._

“Hrongar, calm yourself. What does any of this Nord nonsense have to do with our friend here?” the nobleman’s smooth voice cut in. Danny had to hold back a growl. Laura scowled at the nobleman as he began to explain his point, “Capable as she may be, I don’t see any signs of her being this, what, Dragonborn.”

“Why you puffed up ignorant…” Danny began, advancing on the noble. Laura took hold of her arm in order to stop the Nord, and she looked back at the little Breton. Laura looked just as angered as the Nord but she shook her head. Now was not the time to pick fights. She gave the nobleman an angry look before retreating back to Laura.

“I meant no disrespect of course. It’s just that… what do these Greybeards want with her?”

“It’s the Greybeards business, not ours. If they think she’s Dragonborn, who are we to argue?” Jarl Balgruuf spoke, looking back at Danny, “You better get to High Hrothgar immediately. I made the pilgrimage once, walked the seven thousand steps… it’s a very peaceful place. Very… disconnected from the troubles of the world.”

Danny paused for a moment, looking at the great dragon skull that hung above the throne. It watched her with empty eye sockets, black with shadow.

“They’ll teach me how to control it?” Danny implored. Laura looked up at Danny with sad eyes.

“Yes, of course.”

Danny nodded. “I’ll go.”

“Good luck to you on your journey, Dragonborn. You’ve done Whiterun a great service. If you need anything at all, let me know.”

“Actually… we could use some supplies,” Danny spoke to the Jarl, “The Imperials confiscated my supplies and money at Helgen.”

The Jarl laughed, “Ah, we could help with that. Speak to Avenicci about the supplies.” He motioned toward the scrawny nobleman.

Danny and Laura looked at each other, a look of disgust on both faces.


	9. Brave New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Little Lion Man** by Mumford and Sons (Kirsch's Theme)

Danny sat on a cold stone rock, watching the main road to Whiterun as many people came and went from the city. The stableman fed his horses in the stables behind her, and a carriage sat ready for a nobleman who needed passage out of the city. She could hear the whisperings of the Khajiit merchants as they packed their tents and merchandise along the road. Her backpack was filled with food and supplies for the journey ahead, as well as a fair amount of money generously donated by the Jarl himself. Her bow and quiver was slung across her back, and Laura had used a few leather strips to allow Danny to attach the shield to the back of her backpack. Danny looked back at the bridge that opened up to Whiterun. Laura was probably in the guard barracks, as she said that she wanted to speak with her father before they left.

Danny held a map in her hands, and she rolled it out to analyze it. She could see a drawing of the Throat of the World, a massive mountain that jutted out like a tooth in the Skyrim landscape. Looking at the trails on the map, it seemed that Ivarstead was the village that connected High Hrothgar to the rest of the province.

“Ready to go?”

Danny flinched at the voice, looking up to see Laura watching her, eyes wild with excitement. She wore a fur backpack as well, that carried supplies and a tent for herself. A sword was sheathed at her side, as well as a few daggers, and a bow and quiver was slung around her back.

“Oh, sorry I scared you,” Laura cringed. Danny laughed at the shorter girl.

“Not a problem, Hollis. Let’s go.”

The two adventurers set off along the trail, heading east. They walked by a few farms and the Honningbrew Meadery, the sweet smell of honey wafting in the air. They soon stopped at a stone bridge that crossed the raging river to the east of Whiterun. Laura came to an immediate halt before the bridge, looking up at the wooden pole that pointed signs in all four directions for each of the major cities in Skyrim.

“What’s up, Laura?” Danny asked, standing by her side. The little Breton looked across the bridge, her eyes distant in thought.

“I’ve never been this far before,” she explained, “I’ve gone to the end of this bridge and up to a little farm past the watchtower, but… this is as far as I’ve gotten.”

Danny gave her a little nudge on her shoulder. 

“Hey, the world’s ready for ya, Laura.”

Laura gave a swift nod, her eyebrows furrowed in determination and confidence. She took a few strong steps across the bridge, stopping halfway to observe the mountains of Skyrim’s tundra in the distance. She turned back at Danny, a silhouette against the light of the morning sun, her face lit up in child-like excitement. The Nord woman couldn’t help but feel pride swell into her heart for the mercenary, remembering her first steps of free adventuring on her own. Danny quickly caught up with her, giving her a comforting pat on the shoulder before taking the lead.

Who knew what Laura would find in her adventures.

The two walked along the path merrily, the silhouette of Dragonsreach falling back in the distance with every step they took. Danny’s mind was still in shock from her discovery of being Dragonborn, but she couldn’t help but feel better with the Breton walking beside her, amazed by simple things such as the jaw-dropping sights of Skyrim’s mountains or occasional deer prancing along the path. It was a whole new world for the little Breton, and Danny felt as if she was experiencing Skyrim through a pair of fresh eyes. Laura flinched when a butterfly flew in front of her, its blue wings flittering along in the breeze. Danny chuckled as the Breton watched the butterfly land on a small bush of tundra cotton, her hazel eyes wide with wonder.

Laura came to another sudden halt, looking alongside the river that followed the trail. Three wolves watched her from a few feet away, red blood stained on their face. Danny could smell the fresh meat of a dead deer that lay by them.

Danny’s eyes began to gleam much like the wolves. Laura looked back at her in surprise, and then back at the wolves. The pack took a few careful steps back, their ears pushed back in obedience. Danny motioned to keep moving and set off along the trail once again. After a few steps she turned back to see that Laura was still watching the wolves, a look of curiosity on her face. Danny sighed, going back and grabbing Laura’s arm before heading east again. Laura snapped out of her daydreaming quickly, and Danny let go of her arm as the Breton walked alongside her.

A group of ancient Nordic towers came into view, stone suspended bridges connecting them as it sat above the raging river. Laura gestured to Danny, motioning to the direction of the towers with a nod of her head.

“What are those?”

“I dunno, the ancient Nords built it. Usually bandits infest those old places, so I’d be careful when we walk by it.” Laura nodded her head at the Nord. 

As they walked closer, angry shouting could be heard from the towers. The two adventurers looked at each other, eyebrows raised. They both drew their swords from their belt cautiously, and Danny pulled her shield off of her back as they advanced onto the tower.

“Look, bro, I don’t have any gold. I’m just trying to get home. Couldn’t you help a fellow Nord out?”

_… Kirsch?_

They came up to the top of the hill to see the Nord proudly dressed in his Stormcloak cuirass. A greatsword was sheathed on his back, attached by a leather strip that wrapped around his shoulder and torso. He was taller than the bandit that he quarreled with, who donned fur armor.

“No, we couldn’t. Pay up fifty gold or I’ll gut you like a fish.”

Kirsch turned around quickly at the sound of the approaching girls, his face suddenly lighting up.

“Psycho!”

“Long time no see, Zeta,” Danny spoke up, catching Laura by surprise.

“You know this guy?” the Breton asked, looking up at the tall Nords.

“Yeah, he was with me at Helgen.”

“Hey. Kirsch Zeta-Shield’s the name,” Kirsch flirted at the little Breton. Laura scowled. Danny gave him a slug in the arm, and Kirsch stepped back in mock hurt.

“Okay, okay, cool,” Kirsch apologized.

“What in Oblivion are you doing here?” Danny asked him.

“Why in Oblivion have you not paid the goddamn toll yet?!” The three adventurers jumped at the bandit’s voice, who they had forgotten about in their reunion. 

“We’re not paying your toll,” Danny stated.

“You have a whole bandit clan against you if you don’t pay your toll, traveler.”

“By the gods, why are all the hotties trying to kill me?” Kirsch muttered to himself.

“You really don’t want to cross paths with us,” Laura tried to explain, but was cut short when the bandit took a swing at Kirsch with her mace. Kirsch dodged it quickly, his eyes glowing.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Kirsch cried out, unsheathing the greatsword from his back. The bandit took another swing, and Kirsch blocked it skillfully with his weapon. Danny heard a horn sound from above, and she could hear the clanking of armor drawing nearer and nearer.

“Shit,” Danny swore. Hopefully she’d be paid for this in the nearest town, since the camp must have had a bounty over their head. 

Danny readied her shield and charged through the door of the ancient tower, running up wooden stairs and out into the open daylight. She nearly lost her footing on the wooden bridge that hugged the side of the building, turning to see two bandits advancing upon her. She raised her shield and ran at the bandits, pushing one off balance with her shield. The bandit quickly lost his footing and fell off the bridge, screaming as he fell into the raging waters below. The second bandit took a swing with his axe, and she quickly deflected it with her shield, stabbing him in the shoulder with her sword. He let out a howl of pain, and she pulled her sword out of the bandit’s shoulder and continued advancing along the platform. It soon led her to the top of the stone bridge that connected the two towers, and she watched as five bandits ran out of the opposite tower toward her, weapons raised. She turned back to see Laura and Kirsch running up the platform to meet her. The wounded bandit tried to take a swing at Laura, but she was able to dodge his attack quickly, using the same move that she had used on Danny to disarm him.

Once Laura and Kirsch had caught up with Danny, Danny let her claws and fangs grow out slightly like Kirsch had done earlier. She gave a quick nod at the other two before the three adventurers went into a full charge at the advancing bandits.

The warring groups met at the center of the bridge, and Kirsch was the first to make contact. He used his bestial strength to completely knock down one of the bandits, who fell off of the bridge and into the river. He quickly chased down two of the bandits into the north tower, leaving Danny and Laura alone. Laura motioned to Danny towards the south tower to see another bandit advancing from the south, with a set of heavy armor and an elven sword. The bandit smirked confidently at the two women, unsheathing his sword.

_He must be the chief._

The two adventurers stood back to back, Laura facing the remaining two bandits from the north tower, while Danny faced the bandit chief from the south, her eyes glowing fiercely. Laura pulled out her bow, and she began to fire arrows at the two bandits. The bandit chief let out a fierce yell before charging at the Nord girl, and Danny took a sharp swing at him with her sword. The chief deflected the hit, pushing her so that she could lose her footing. She quickly jumped back into her fighter’s stance, holding her shield up. She effectively blocked the bandit’s next attack, but when she went in to strike with her sword, the bandit chief quickly dodged and hit her arm with the hilt of his sword. Danny cried out in pain, letting go of her shield in instinct. The bandit attacked again, and she blocked with her sword, but his immense strength made her fall to the stone floor of the narrow bridge. Her head was positioned against the edge of the bridge, and with a turn of her neck she could see her shield falling into the raging river several feet below.

Kirsch ran back out of the North tower, surprising one of the bandits that attacked Laura. He quickly grabbed him and flung him off of the bridge, and the other bandit looked back in surprise. Laura took her advantage quickly, silently grabbing a dagger from her belt and planting it into the bandit’s thigh. The bandit howled in pain, and she slid the dagger out. The bridge was so narrow that the only way the bandit could fall was into the watery depths. Kirsch and Laura turned back to see Danny pinned to the ground, the chief raising his sword to kill.

“FUS!”

The bandit was violently flung off of the bridge by a force that exhaled out of Danny’s breath, and he joined his clan in the deadly waters of the river. The Nord quickly jumped to her feet, grabbing her sword. She still sat in a fighting stance, her heart racing and adrenaline pumping.

“Danny… what in Oblivion…” Kirsch began to stammer, his shoulders relaxed and greatsword hanging limply. Laura still held her bloodied dagger, examining it with hollow eyes. Danny looked back at the two adventurers, her shoulders beginning to relax again. She stood up out of her fighting stance, into a normal position.

“A lot’s happened since I left for Whiterun,” Danny began to explain.

“Yeah, I think so!” Kirsch exclaimed, his eyes turning human again, “You just Shouted! Like the stories I used to hear when I was little! Like you’re-”

“Dragonborn, yeah,” Laura interrupted him, “Look, she just found out. She’s had a lot to process. Leave her be for a while, okay?”

Danny smiled her thanks at the little Breton, who still regarded her bloody dagger. Laura put the dagger on the stone floor of the bridge for a moment, strapping her bow back into the quiver on her back before picking it up again.

“Oh. Yeah, I got it. Sorry, psycho.”

“It’s okay. Come on, we need to clean up.”

The party silently walked across the bridge and through the south tower to get back to the main road. There, Danny located her shield along the banks of the river, and kneeled down to pick it up. The other two did the same, and Laura washed the blood of the dagger and her sword. All three of them began to clean their weapons silently.

Laura was the first to break the silence. 

“So, Kirsch, right? Where are you off to?”

“Eh, I was heading up to Windhelm to get orders from Ulfric Stormcloak after the attack on Helgen. Turns out I was the only Stormcloak survivor that passed through Riverwood. Anyways, a Stormcloak courier caught me and told me Ulfric had no orders for any of the survivors right now. Said we had a break, but I don’t know what to do with myself. So I’m heading in the direction of home,” He looked over at Danny, “I mean, I dunno if Danny’s mentioned me at all, but I was raised by the Orcs in Dushnikh Yal. That’s the only place I could really go.”

“Woah. Orcs?”

“Yeah. Tough as nails, but they’re good people,” he paused, unsheathing his cleaned greatsword into the hilt on his back. He looked back at the two women, “Truth is, I don’t want a break. I need something to do.”

“Come join us, then,” Danny suggested, rising from her kneeling positon against the river. She sheathed her clean sword, ready to go back on the main road.

“Where?”

“High Hrothgar. We’re visiting the Greybeards.”

“So that was what the Shouting was about, then. I heard a Shout when I was on the way back from Darkwater Crossing last night.”

“You heard it from all the way out there?” Laura implored.

“I think all of Skyrim heard it.”

Danny felt her stomach drop. Laura looked at her worriedly, standing up to face her.

“Hey, it’ll be alright. The Greybeards will help you, Danny. And we got your back.”

“Yeah, I’ll help you out, dragon psycho. Count me in.” The Nordic boy stood up proudly, a spark of adventure in his big blue eyes. Danny looked at the two travelers, a grin instinctively forming on her face. The three began to walk towards the path to set off on their journey north.

Maybe she would get a happy ending after all.


	10. Blood Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Howl** by Florence + The Machine

The sun was falling into the mountains of the west when the party began to set up camp. Kirsch and Laura worked at the tents, carefully unwrapping and pitching three of them side by side. Danny had taken many rocks from the river that flowed alongside the road, and set them in a circle for a fire. She walked back up to the camp from the river, a pile of firewood in her arms. She carefully set the pile in the middle of the circle of rocks, looking up at the main road ahead. They camped alongside the riverbed, underneath the steep bank that held the main trail. It would give them protection from the wind or any bandit patrols that may wander by.

Danny willed a fire spell into her hand and shot it in the direction of the pile of wood. With a crack and a sputter of embers, a fire roared from the wood, making lights dance onto the shadows of the bank. As soon as the tents had been pitched, Laura and Kirsch walked over to the fire to warm themselves.

Danny was beginning to regret not staying the night at Darkwater Crossing, which lay a few miles behind them. She sat cross legged by the fire, putting her hands out to warm herself. The three were silent, as they had spent the whole day on foot.

In the silence, Danny could feel a stirring in her heart. An anger boiled in her chest, one that nearly felt uncontrollable. Danny crossed her arms, her brows furrowed and concentrated on the light of the fire in front of her. She felt the need to fight, the desire to prove her worth in battle. She looked across the river and suddenly felt the desire to run off into the woods, not knowing where the path might take her.   
She looked down at her left hand, seeing the silver ring wound tight around her finger. She caressed it slightly with her right hand, and a sense of quiet calm brought her back to reality. She sighed a breath of relief.

_Wait…_

She looked up at the sky, which was now turning dark in the absence of the sun. Two moons watched her like a pair of beady eyes, both full and blood red. She clutched her ring, thankful that she had it.

“Kirsch,” Danny breathed, her eyes fixed on the sky. He looked up, his eyes wide with understanding. He began to back away from the camp, his eyes glowing. Laura looked back and forth at the other travelers, her brows furrowed. Kirsch looked over at Laura, and then sprinted towards the river. He plunged in and swam effortlessly to the other side, and climbed up the steep embankment before sprinting towards the volcanic tundra in the north.

“Danny, what’s going on?” Laura’s voice quaked, looking up at the sky. Her eyes darkened as her head rotated back to Danny, “Danny, the moons are full. Are you-”

“Laura, you need to run. We’ll meet you in Ivarstead, okay?” She spoke hurriedly, showing the Breton her left hand, “I have the ring, remember? I can control it.”

“Come with me, then.”

“I can’t. I won’t let Kirsch hurt anyone. You need to get out of here, now.”

Laura’s eyes widened with understanding, “Kirsch is a werewolf too?”

“Werebear. He’s distancing himself as far as he can before the full moon gets to him. Look Hollis, you don’t have much time!”

“Danny-”

Laura could hear a sudden crash in the undergrowth across the river.

“Go!” the Nord yelled, running towards the sound of the noise. Laura could see her friend’s hands were beginning to grow long claws, and she could see bits of brown fur growing behind her arms as she left the Breton.

Without thinking, Laura grabbed her backpack from off the ground and sprinted up the embankment. Heels hit the cobblestone of the main road, and she sprinted along the path. She could no longer feel her body as she flew down the trail, the grove of Skyrim pines growing thicker as the trail left the river and turned into the forest. The trail began to climb upwards as it scaled the mountains that it laid upon. Laura was forced to slow to a jog by the steep incline, and she gasped and struggled for breath with each step. 

_I need to go back._

Her legs kept moving forward.

_I have to help Danny._

Her body would not listen to her. She continued on, her backpack clanking against her armor. Her sword hit her side violently with each step. The path was pitch dark, but she could see where the path fell off into the mountainside that overlooked the tundra of Eastmarch. She slowed her pace to a brisk walk, in fear of slipping off the edge of the cliff. Her heart pounded against her chest, and she looked towards the forest on her right. Only the distant chirping of crickets and the occasional owl could be heard in the blackness.

Laura began to gather her thoughts once she had put enough distance between her and the camp. Guilt and worry began to weigh her down as she trudged along the path. Was Danny safe? Did Kirsch hurt anyone? Is he going to survive this?

_Why in Oblivion did Danny forget to tell me Kirsch was a werebear?_

A light sprinkle of rain began to fall from the gray clouds overhead. Laura let out a sigh of irritation before throwing the hood of her cloak over her head. 

_You’re on a journey across Skyrim with two werebeasts. For free. Great job, Laura._

It was then that a deafening roar sounded over the quiet forest. Before the sound even registered in her mind, Laura’s feet had gone into a full sprint again. She slid directly under a bush by the path so that she had a clear view of the road. She could hear the crashing of bushes directly to her left, and a massive beast jumped in front of the path. She came to a sudden halt from finding a hiding place, her body paralyzed and her heart pumping at an impossible rate. 

Her eyes grew wide as the beast turned to face her, its ice blue eyes glowing in the light of the full moon. It looked much like a bear, as it had a short snout and a large hump on its back, and was covered in dense brown fur. However, it was also clearly humanoid, as it seemed to prefer standing on two legs to its usual four. It watched her carefully as Laura stood completely still, terrified of provoking it. They sat there in silence for several moments.

“Kirsch?” Laura finally whispered, moving her hand slowly toward the hilt of her sword, “You… you know me, right? It’s Laura. The mercenary?”

Bad choice.

The werebear lunged towards her at her sudden movement, its mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth and strings of saliva. Laura let out a scream as she lost her footing, but she was able to draw her sword from its hilt before she hit the ground. She raised her sword as the beast was upon her, and closed her eyes.

There was a sudden crash in the undergrowth, a whisk of wind, a roar of pain, and the beast was gone. The Breton opened her eyes to see the werebear fighting off yet another beast, a great werewolf with thick chestnut fur and brilliant blue eyes.

_She must have pushed him off of me._

The two beasts fought in the dark, and the bear’s moves were clearly less accurate and more violent and powerful, as the wolf took more skilled attacks and dodges from the bear’s attack, and it seemed as if the wolf was refraining from inflicting any killing blows. What human that once lived in the bear was gone, taken over by the blood red moon, their only light in the dark of night.

The werebear took a sudden lunge at the werewolf, using its weight to crash into the smaller werebeast. The two beasts went hurtling over the side of the cliff that lay against the road, into a ditch that opened up into the hold of Eastmarch.

“DANNY!” Laura let out a mangled cry as she raced from her hiding spot to investigate the cliff bottom. The night was still too dark for Laura too see the bottom, and she stood in silence as she watched the gaping black ditch below her.

“Danny… Kirsch…” Laura mumbled. She sat down against the side of the cliff, still in her shock. Eventually, her thoughts came back to her, clouding her empty mind.

_Why did you run away? Why did you leave?_

Tears began to stream down her face. She looked around her frantically, in fear of someone seeing her. Laura knew in her heart that she was alone.

_You’re a useless mercenary. Your dad was right, you can’t do this. You aren’t ready for the real world. Now two people are dead._

She let out a choking sob, and she buried her face in her hands.

_What will you do now?_

She looked up towards the trail in thought, her cheeks still wet with fresh tears. She couldn’t go back to Whiterun and face that shame. Her father would never let her leave.

_You’ll be a priestess. At least you won’t hurt anyone._

Laura shook her head violently, her face scrunched in agony.

_You killed them. You killed them. You shouldn’t have run away. You’re a coward._

_No. No. I’m not a coward._ She let out another agonizing sob.

_Maybe they aren’t dead,_ a thought came into her mind. It was too dark outside, she had no idea how long of a fall the cliff was. Maybe it wasn’t far at all. She felt her feet begin to carry her east, towards the village of Ivarstead. She stopped for a moment, looking back at the cliff face. She could still see where a bush was crushed under the weight of the two werebeasts before they had fallen off. 

“I’m going to Ivarstead,” Laura spoke aloud, looking at the cliff. She hoped to hear another voice reply, but she knew that she would only be greeted by silence. 

_Even if they’re gone… I could get some work there. Maybe someone else would hire me._

She trudged silently up the road again, not looking back. Her heart lay heavy in her chest. She sheathed her sword after she got a fair distance away from the cliff. Her crying eventually came to a stop, and the tears dried against her face. The rain came to a stop as well, and she uncovered her head. 

One foot in front of the other. Step, step, step, step. She watched the cobblestone trail beneath her as she took shaky steps along the path. Hours had gone by since the two werebeasts had tumbled off the cliff, and the morning sun now began to rise over the icy mountaintops. The sky shined with vivid oranges and purples, and warmth came to Laura’s fingertips. She looked up to see an old wooden signpost, multiple wooden arrows sticking out to point in different paths that she could take. She eventually found the sign that said 'Ivarstead', and noticed that it pointed right. Without hesitation, Laura followed the sign’s direction.

She was almost there.


	11. Ivarstead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Something's Missing** by Sheppard

Laura eventually came to a stop along a small stream, her legs exhausted from the walk the night before. Her eyelids drooped from the lack of sleep, and she rummaged through her fur backpack for food. Her stomach growled when she felt her hand grasp a hunk of bread, which she eagerly pulled out and began to chew on. She felt around in her backpack until she pulled out a small hunk of cheese. She devoured the food hungrily as she walked along the stream, as she had not eaten since the day before. She decided to walk a few feet off the trail for a change in scenery, following the rushing stream and keeping an eye on the road beside her so that she would not lose it. Soon, the bread and cheese was gone, and she put a careful hand on the hilt of her sword as she sauntered down the streambed.

The Breton rounded a corner and stopped dead in her tracks. A woman leaned against a boulder that sat along the stream, her piercing blue eyes distant. Her long ginger hair was knotted and messy, her armor torn and bloody. There was a clear gash on her stomach, and it cut diagonally across the front of her body. Her eyes looked up to the Breton, hollow in pain.

“Hey, Hollis,” she croaked out, a pained smile forming on her lips.

“DANNY!” Laura exclaimed, the heavy weight on her heart lifting immediately. She willed a healing spell into both hands as she raced to the Nord’s side. She put her hands just above the gash on the Nord’s torso, and Danny closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.

“Thank the gods you’re okay, thank the gods…” Laura mumbled to herself repeatedly as the gash began to heal itself under Laura’s magic. Soon enough, all that was left of the bloody wound was a clean scar that cut along Danny’s torso. 

“Good to see you’re in one piece,” Danny grumbled, her voice still pained. Laura could see that she was able to look directly at her now, and her words were much more coherent.

“You hurt anywhere else?”

“My shoulder.”

Laura quickly moved her hand to Danny’s left shoulder, which sat at an awkward angle against her body. She willed the healing spell to be stronger, and she heard a sudden click of bone. Danny growled at the pain, but she rotated her shoulder carefully to make sure it was working properly. Laura continued to move her hands just so that they hovered over Danny’s arm, closing open cuts. She let go of the healing spell, and kneeled down next to Danny.

“Hey,” Laura spoke to the Nord, “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, I think so. Thanks for the healing spell.”

Danny was thrown against the boulder she leaned upon when Laura jumped over to hug her. She winced from the pain, but still embraced the hug nonetheless.

“I thought you died.”

“A cliff is hardly an obstacle for a werewolf, Laura.” They both laughed as Laura pulled away from the hug. The little Breton now studied the Nord carefully as she kneeled in front of her.

“How’d you get here?” she asked.

“Well, I took off after I took that tumble. We were nowhere near civilization, and I’m not nearly as strong as a werebeast on a full moon, so…” she began, crossing her arms, “Well, I put enough miles between me and Kirsch and shifted back. I found this stream and decided to follow it, thought it might lead me somewhere. But I lost my strength by morning.” The Nord took a deep sigh, leaning her head against the boulder.

“You don’t know where Kirsch is?”

“Not a clue. He’s probably alive, though. I mean, he better be. He promised he’d walk those damn steps.”

Laura chuckled at Danny, and proceeded to stand up. She offered a hand to the Nord, who gladly took it. Danny planted her feet to the ground and used Laura’s hand as leverage to rise to her feet, but she found herself struggling to balance herself. Laura supported her as she began to lean towards her, and she prepared the healing spell in her hands again. This time, the golden light of the spell swirled around the Nord’s entire body, and she felt the dizziness begin to subside. Danny was able to stand firmly upon the ground once she let go of Laura.

“Thanks, Hollis.”

“Not a problem. Come on, this way to Ivarstead.”

The two adventurers set down the trail, their armored boots hitting the cobblestone at their feet. Danny adjusted her backpack and looked down at her torn armor, a look of disappointment setting in.

“Man, I liked this armor,” she spoke as she fiddled with the torn leather that clutched her torso. There was a pause of silence before Laura spoke up.

“I can fix it.”

“What?”

“My dad taught me a thing or two about smithing. I could fix it if we could get leather in Ivarstead.”

“Gods, you’re doing me a lot of favors. I owe you, Laura.”

“Hey, you got me out of Whiterun. I really couldn’t thank you enough, Danny,” Laura looked up at the tall Nord, a soft smile appearing on her lips, “Really. I’m glad to have run into you.”  
Danny couldn’t help but smile at the little Breton. She felt her heart sputter momentarily, and she looked up at the road ahead to see a lazy village sitting along the river in the distance.

_I must not be fully healed. I’ll need rest before climbing the steps._

“Look, Danny! Ivarstead!” Laura’s hand brushed against hers momentarily, and Danny felt the sudden jolt in her heart again.

_Is that… not a wound_

The two crossed an old cobblestone bridge, calmly walking into the heart of the village. There were multiple houses that lined up against the main road, much like Riverwood. An old mill sat by the roaring stream, a wooden wheel turning slowly against the large building. Danny could see a Nordic woman clad in peasant clothes, throwing logs onto the wooden belt that cut it in half mechanically. Danny looked directly to her right, seeing an inn similar to the Sleeping Giant Inn from Riverwood. 

“Look, they’ve got an anvil!” Laura ran to the side of the inn overlooking the stream, inspecting the dark metal surface, “I can work with this. Maybe the innkeeper could sell us some leather.”

Danny followed Laura as she ran to the porch of the inn and opened the wooden door. This inn was much quieter than the ones in Riverwood and Whiterun, as there were less people in the room. One man sat quietly by the fire, his ginger hair grown out to his shoulders. A young woman plucked a lute carefully, making a mistake every once in a while in the determination to learn a new song. An old man stood at the bar, analyzing the ale he had in store. Laura let out a little cough to get the man’s attention, and he jumped at the sight of the travelers.

“Oh! Welcome to the Vilemyr Inn. Could I get you anything?” the bartender spoke in a practiced tone.

“Do you have any leather? I need to fix her armor,” Laura explained, pointing at Danny.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll give you some for ten gold each.”

“Good. I’ll take three,” Laura told him as she began to dig through her pockets, pulling out thirty septims worth of coins. 

“We’ll rent two rooms, too,” Danny spoke up as they made the transaction, “Just for a night.” The Nord woman pulled out twenty septims and handed it to the bartender, but Laura stopped her.

“I’ll pay for my room.”

“Nah, you’ve done a lot for me today. I’ll pay,” Danny grinned. Laura regarded her for a moment before giving a small nod. Danny held out her hand filled with coins to the bartender, who took it gladly.

“You’ll have the two rooms next to each other on the right,” the bartender motioned at the two adjacent doors.

“Thanks,” Danny spoke up before heading to one of the rooms, looking down at Laura, “Let me get changed really quick. I’ll give you the armor.” Laura gave another swift nod before sitting on a table bench by Danny’s room. The Nord shut the door behind her, and the little Breton crossed her left leg over her right, fiddling with her fingers upon her knee. After a few silent moments, the creak of the wooden door could be heard, and Laura could see that Danny’s light hand was offering the armor outside of the door. Laura quickly took it, the leather and fur outfit piled into her hands. Danny’s door closed with a bang, and Laura went through the front door of the inn to begin her work.

Danny eventually found herself leaning against the door to her room, a red peasant dress draped around her body. She carefully let her ponytail down, her ginger hair falling over her shoulders. Her bare feet supported her upon the cold stone floor, and she fiddled with the sleeves of her dress for a moment before pushing herself back into a standing position. She was about to open the wooden door before a booming voice could be heard in the main room of the inn.

“Ah, good to see a fine young Nord wearing his Stormcloak armor! What could I get you, my boy?” the bartender exclaimed. Danny pressed her ear against the wooden door, her bright blue eyes wide. 

“Yeah, I’ll have a Honningbrew Ale,” a familiar voice mumbled. The clinking of coins could be heard upon the bar, and the pushing of a glass bottle upon the wooden surface. Footsteps sounded across the bar, and the bartender spoke up after a period of silence.

“Are you alright, boy?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, it ain’t no thing,” a young voice grumbled. Danny slightly began to open the door to her room, pushing it slowly so that it would not creak. Eventually, the door was swung out enough so that Danny could squeeze herself through. She stood barefoot in the main hall of the inn, and looked to her left to see a young man in Stormcloak armor sitting at a table, his light blue eyes glazed over as he stared at his tankard. His armor was torn at the sides, but still in fairly good shape. He had a small bruise on his cheekbone, and a newly-healed cut on his forehead, covered in dried blood. A bottle of Honningbrew mead sat next to him, the liquid within it half gone. A huge smile spread across Danny’s face as she approached the young Stormcloak.

“So you didn’t get yourself killed, Zeta?” she teased. The Nord boy spun around, looking up at the young woman with wide blue eyes and a dropped jaw. Danny began to laugh at the soldier, who promptly jumped to his feet and pulled Danny into a tight hug. Danny flinched in surprise by the sudden closeness, but hugged him back tightly. Kirsch put his head on the taller woman’s shoulder, eyes downcast.

“Hey, you okay?” Danny suddenly spoke in the silence.

“Yeah. Uh, I’m fine. I just… I thought I killed you,” Kirsch croaked, “I… I don’t want to hurt anyone… I can’t hurt another bro… I-” Kirsch stopped suddenly, letting out a choking sob.

“It’s alright. You didn’t hurt anyone,” Danny began to explain, hugging him closer. The warmth of his body was oddly comforting to the Nordic woman, and she closed her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“I…” Kirsch began to stutter again, then jumped back from the embrace. Danny flinched again, looking the other Nord straight in the eye as she broke away from him. 

“Where’s Laura?” he implored, his eyes glassy as he held back tears.

“She’s fine, Kirsch. She’s stitching up my armor right now. Outside, by the inn.” 

Kirsch let out a deep sigh looking down at the ground, “Thank Talos. I thought I killed her. The other guy wanted to kill her,” he explained, motioning at the ring that Danny wore. He paused for a moment, looking up at Danny, “Oh god. Sorry if I hurt you. I can’t remember much, but… I, uh, think I tried to hurt you.”

“Yeah, but I’m fine now. It’s alright, Zeta. You were definitely a tough opponent, I’ll give you that.” Kirsch gave a small smile, his eyes still wet.

“Told you I’d walk the steps,” Kirsch chuckled. Danny let out a laugh, her hair falling carelessly over her back. She noticed that the Nordic boy was watching her, looking about her features curiously. His gaze was broken off by the loud creaking of the door to the inn.

“KIRSCH!” Laura cried out, running up to the pair as quickly as she could with the armor piled in her arms. Danny took the armor from the little Breton, leaning back to take the weight. She could hear the innkeeper chuckling to himself as she headed for her room, a grin on her face. Even as she closed the door to change, she could hear Laura’s voice chirping excitedly at the tall Nord boy. Danny dropped the armor on her bed, and she leaned against the wooden door once again. She let her shoulders relax at the sound of the two voices as they fired questions at one another, the happiness clear in their tones of voice. A laugh erupted from Danny’s throat, giddy and uncontainable as happiness lifted the weight of her body.


	12. Seven Thousand Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Dirty Paws** by Of Monsters and Men

The sky spilled oranges and pinks of the coming sun as dawn crept upon the sleepy town of Ivarstead. The farmers and millworkers had begun their work just as the light began to shine over the towering mountain above them, and the sounds of the shoveling of dirt and the piling of logs could be heard. Stormcloak guards casually patrolled the main road, eyes drooping and mouth yawning from the new day. An old beggar sat alone in a ruined shack across the gushing stream, muttering to himself while he fished for his next meal. It seemed to be a normal autumn day in the little village. 

Three armored adventurers walked along the main road, two women and one man. One of the women was considerably shorter than the other two, but stood with a tall posture and held her sword firmly at her side. The other woman was tall and fair, with long red hair that now draped itself over her shoulders and down to the middle of her back. She regarded the guards with harsh blue eyes, like that of the sky itself. The man wore Stormcloak armor like many of the guards, and his cloak had a Stormcloak insignia as well, a pale blue instead of the normal dark brown that the women wore. He was as tall as the other woman, and had a short haircut and large blue eyes that observed the village curiously.

Two guards passed by the three travelers, and the Nordic woman noticed that they were sneaking looks at her party. She listened closely to their conversation, looking away as if to pretend she did not notice them.

“By the Gods, it’s true, isn’t it? A dragon has attacked Whiterun. How could mere men bring down such a beast?”

“You heard the Greybeards shout ‘Dovahkiin?’”

The other guard crossed his arms as if to hug himself, “I did. Strange days when the monks do that. I wonder what it means.”

Kirsch looked over at Danny, his eyebrow raised. Danny looked back at him, nodding solemnly. 

_Yes, that was us._

Kirsch nodded back in understanding. Danny and Laura had explained their situation to Kirsch during their journey to Ivarstead, before the events of the full moon.

The group walked past the old wooden mill and a family farm, and eventually came upon an old cobblestone bridge that faced a mountain. A worn trail lay ahead of it, snaking up the towering mountain ahead of them. A young wood elf leaned against the bridge, chatting with an older Nord. The Nord held a leather sack in his hand, and looked up at the mountain that towered above him, his brows furrowed.

“On your way up the seven thousand steps again, Klimmek?” The wood elf asked.

“Not today. I’m not ready to make the climb. The path isn’t safe.”

“Not safe? What do you mean?” Laura chimed in, making both Klimmek and the Bosmer look down in surprise.

“Ah, well, just some wolves. The occasional troll, but nothing for young travelers like you to worry about. I run supplies to the Greybeards up at High Hrothgar, you see. It’s just that… I’m getting older. My legs aren’t as good as they used to be,” Klimmek explained, sighing.

“Let us take the supplies,” Laura responded quickly, “We’re heading up there ourselves.”

“Really? You would do that?” Klimmek asked in surprise, eyeing the three travelers, “You don’t look like pilgrims. Why would you go that far up the path, anyway?”

“Oh, Danny’s the-”

Laura elbowed Kirsch in the stomach softly, just enough so that he would quit speaking but not enough to hurt him. He let out a muffled grunt, and Laura pulled a small amulet from under her armor that wrapped around her neck. It was a light purple, and resembled that of an angelic sword that was wrapped in a purple light so that it resembled an arrowhead. A blue jewel sat in the center, gleaming against the light of the sun.

"We’re apprentices under the Temple of Kynareth in Whiterun. We were tasked with completing the pilgrimage to High Hrothgar,” Laura lied, motioning to the Stormcloak, “He’s our bodyguard.”

Klimmek nodded, his eyes lighting up, “That’s a fine trade, there. You’ll help a lot of people as priestesses, especially with this war going on. I thank you for your help.” He handed the little Breton the heavy sack, who strapped it to her fur backpack carefully.

“So, wolves and trolls? That’s all we should worry about?” Danny piped up, her hand fiddling with the brown cloak she wore over her shoulders.

“That’s all I’ve seen. Maybe a bear, but they don’t usually live that far up the path. I’ve been up the monastery many times, but I’ve never laid eyes on the Greybeards. Not that I’d care to. Being masters of the Thu’um, they could kill you by uttering a single word. They’re a solitary, peaceful lot, but I wouldn’t want to provoke ‘em,” Klimmek looked up at Kirsch, his brows furrowed, “You keep these girls safe, eh lad?”

“Uh, yeah. That’s why I’m here.”

“Good,” he turned to the wood elf, “Come on, Gwilin! Back to business!”

“Have yourselves a wonderful day!” the wood elf piped up before following the older Nord. The three adventurers quickly crossed the bridge, beginning the long climb up the mountain.

“Priestesses,” Danny spoke up, chuckling at the shorter girl.

“Hey! I thought we didn’t want to attract attention. And Kirsch almost blew our cover, what else was I supposed to do?”

“I didn’t know that was a part of the plan, okay?” Kirsch complained.

Danny stopped suddenly, her attention focused to the left of the trail. Laura and Kirsch stopped once they realized Danny was not following them, and went to her side. The three adventurers stood in front of what seemed to be an ancient stone structure, small enough for one to meditate within it and gain protection from the elements. A tablet sat in the center of the structure, the scribbles upon it worn by the harsh weather of the Throat of the World. 

“That doesn’t look like any language I’ve seen,” Laura exclaimed.

“Before the birth of Men, Dragons ruled all of Mundus. Their word was the Voice, and they spoke only for True Needs. For the Voice could blot out the sky and flood the land,” Danny muttered quietly, analyzing the tablet carefully. Kirsch and Laura looked up at the tall Nord, their faces riddled with confusion.

“T-That’s what it says,” Danny stammered, looking back at her companions, “You can’t read it?”

“I think it’s the dragon language,” Kirsch piped in, “I mean, the Dragonborn can Shout like the dragons, right? So dragon psycho can read the language without a problem.” Danny and Laura looked back at him, their eyes wide with surprise.

“How’d you know that?” Danny asked.

“Well, uh, the Dragonborn stories were always my favorite. You know, when I was a kid,” Kirsch stammered, his face turning pink as he looked down at the ground beneath him. Danny regarded him for a moment before the group headed up towards the path once again. 

The path twisted and turned along the rocky mountainside, the steps as ancient as the emblems and worn from the rain and snow. The howling of a wolf could be heard alongside the songbirds, which made the hairs on the back of Laura’s neck stand on end. The wind blew calmly through the trees, making them creak and howl as if they spoke their own language. A goat ran along the path, not at all distressed by the adventurers that climbed with him. He turned the corner and darted off the path, straight into the forest. Another emblem came into view.

“Men were born and spread over the face of Mundus; The Dragons presided over the crawling masses; Men were weak then, and had no Voice.”

The path became steeper, and the snow thickened. There were only mere feet between the cliff face of the mountain they climbed upon on one side and the drop to the small village below. Danny and Kirsch could smell the pack of wolves and fresh blood as they drew near, but said nothing. Eventually they turned a corner to see the pack feasting upon a dead goat, its fur covered in blood. Danny gave a quick growl at the wolves, showing her dominance. The pack folded their ears back in submission, and quickly withdrew into the forests.

“The fledgling spirits of Men were strong in the Old Times; Unafraid to war with Dragons and their Voices. But the Dragons only Shouted them down and broke their hearts.”

A heavy snow began to fall as they hiked higher up the path. There was no sounds of life except the occasional goat that traveled through the woods. The three adventurers put the hoods of their cloaks over their heads. Danny watched Laura carefully, aware that she did not have the werebeast sense to warm herself like her Nordic friends did. 

“Kyne called on Paarthurnax, who pitied Man; Together they taught the Men to use the Voice. Then Dragon War raged; Dragon against Tongue.”

The snow would completely cover the path at times, and the group would worry if they had lost the way. The path would always be found again, through an old stone pole or a pile of rocks that held a ripped red flag. 

“Man prevailed, Shouting Alduin out of the world; Proving for all that their Voice was too strong; Although their sacrifices were many-fold.”

The path no longer went along the cliff face of the mountain, but went through a small pass. Rocks surrounded the group, and a troll sat quietly in a dark cave carved into the mountain. The three adventurers made quick work of it; six arrows had pierced its hide before it fell into the snow, its eyes glazed over and lifeless.

“With roaring Tongues, the Sky-Children conquer; Founding the First Empire with Sword and Voice, whilst the Dragons withdrew from this world.”

The path ran along the side of the mountain once again, away from the troll’s den. A heavy blizzard set in, and Laura willed a fire spell in her hand to keep warm. Danny could barely see her companions in the howling white winds.

“The Tongues at Red Mountain went away humbled; Jurgen Windcaller began his Seven Year Meditation, To understand how strong Voices could fail.” 

The path became steeper, the wind stronger, the air colder. Even Danny and Kirsch began to feel the effect of the blizzard, and all three shook under their cloaks in an effort to keep warm. 

“Jurgen Windcaller chose silence and returned; The seventeen disputants could not Shout him down; Jurgen the Calm built his home on the Throat of the World.”

The three adventurers stumbled blindly up the steps, their bodies frozen and exhausted. Between the howling winds of the blizzard and the ragged breaths of the travelers, Danny could barely locate the next emblem, and barely had the strength to translate it.

“For years all silent, the Greybeards spoke one name; Tiber Septim, stripling then, was summoned to High Hrothgar; They blessed and named him Dovahkiin.”

_Dovahkiin._

Danny looked up to see a massive stone fort at the end of the path, lights glimmering at the end. With what energy she had left, she approached its steps to see one last emblem.

“The Voice is Worship; Follow the Inner Path; Speak only in True Need.”

Danny let out a sigh of relief, letting her feet guide her to the carved stone door of the ancient sanctuary.


	13. The Way of the Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Empire** by Of Monsters and Men

Heat surrounded the bodies of the frozen adventurers as the heavy door shut out the howling winds of the blizzard. Torches ignited the darkened rooms of High Hrothgar, and the walls were covered in ancient carvings. They looked around, their bodies now awake with a sense of discovery. Danny could see movement in the corner of her eye as they entered the main hall, the only furniture being worn meditating mats and torches for light. An elderly man approached the weary travelers, his face wrinkled with age and wisdom and a long gray beard growing from his face. He wore a blue robe that draped upon the floor and dragged as he walked. Danny turned to see that there were three more of these robed men approaching them, smiling at her with kind eyes. She and her companions took a step back, standing against the carved wall that marked the entrance to the monastery. A torch sat above them, warming their skin.

“So… a Dragonborn appears, at this moment in the turning of an age,” the first man spoke, looking directly at Danny, “And I see that you brought friends.” Kirsch gave a weak smile to the elderly man, and Laura nodded politely.

“You call me Dragonborn,” Danny responded, “What does that mean, exactly? Why did you summoned me?”

“Patience,” the Greybeard told the Nordic woman, “First, let us see that you truly have the gift. Let us taste your Voice.”

“At you? I wouldn’t want-”

“Yes. Shout at me.”

Danny regarded him for a moment before stepping towards him.

“FUS!” 

The Greybeard nearly lost his footing as he absorbed the force that Danny’s Shout had projected, but easily brought himself back into a balanced stance. He smiled at the young Nord, his gray eyes bright.

“Dragonborn, it is you. Welcome to High Hrothgar.”

Laura and Kirsch looked over at each other, grins spreading on their faces. The Greybeard furrowed his eyebrows at the two adventurers.

“Stand out of the way,” he commanded, and the two young travelers raised their eyebrows. The Greybeard looked back at the Dragonborn, “You may have the dragon blood, but they do not. We did not summon them to our Sanctuary.” Danny’s mouth opened slightly, heat beginning to boil in her heart.

“Look, there’s a blizzard out there. They need to stay. They’re my friends,” Danny explained. The Greybeard regarded her for a moment, shooting glances at both Danny and her companions.

“Fine. They may stay here,” the Greybeard muttered, glaring at Laura and Kirsch, “But they must stay quiet and not get in the way.”

“Yessir,” Kirsch stammered. They both walked towards the edge of the room and leaned against the wall, looking at each other with confusion written on their faces. The Greybeard focused back to the Dragonborn.

“I am Master Arngeir. I speak for the Greybeards. Now tell me, Dragonborn. Why have you come here?”

Danny paused for a moment, looking back at her companions. Laura had pulled out a piece of parchment, ink, and a quill from her bag, and Kirsch was hastily scribbling something upon it. He showed it to Laura, who chuckled quietly. Laura nervously looked back up at the Greybeards, as she still seemed to have plenty of interest in the conversation happening in front of her.

Danny looked back at the Greybeard, “I want to know what it means to be Dragonborn, and I want to control what power I have.”

“And we will guide you in that pursuit, just as the Greybeards have sought to guide those of the dragon blood before you.”

“So I’m not the only Dragonborn, then.”

“No, you are not the first. There have been many since Akatosh first bestowed the gift upon mortalkind. There may be other Dragonborn alive today, but you have been the only one revealed thus far. That is all I can say,” the elder’s voice rasped. He paused for a moment, looking over at the Stormcloak behind her. He laughed at the parchment that Laura had recently written upon, but his head jolted up when he realized the room was silent. 

“Oh, uh, sorry,” he apologized quickly, his ears turning red. Laura muttered an apology before focusing on the conversation again, and Kirsch began to doodle on the parchment. Arngeir gave a grunt of annoyance before continuing.

“Anyways, you have shown you have the inborn gift. Without training, you have already taken the first steps into projecting your voice into a Thu’um, or Shout. When you Shout, you speak the language of the dragons, specifically certain words known as Words of Power,” Arngeir explained, pacing about the room, “Each Shout has three Words of Power within it, and each word makes the Shout progressively stronger.”  
“Alright, so the Shout I know has two more Words,” Danny spoke.

“Yes, exactly. Master Einarth will teach you the rest of the Words of this Shout. We call it ‘Unrelenting Force’,” he exclaimed, motioning the Nordic woman towards one of the elderly men. The other positioned themselves so that they stood in two corners across the square entrance hall, but Einarth stood still. 

“Ro,” he whispered, sending a wind from his lungs and onto the floor. The stone beneath him sputtered like the embers of a dying fire, then revealed the carvings of the ancient dragon language newly scratched upon the floor.

_**Ro. Balance.** _

As soon as the voice sounded within Danny’s mind, the light within the carvings died out, turning to blackened shadows upon the ground. 

“Dah,” Einarth whispered, and more symbols were carved onto the floor with a fiery light. Danny analyzed the markings on the ground carefully.

_**Dah. Push.** _

The light sputtered and died once Danny grasped the meaning of the words. The Dragonborn looked up to see that all four men were watching her with bewilderment. She turned back to Laura and Kirsch, whose eyes were darting between her and the Greybeards.

“You… you learned the new Words like a Master. You truly do have the gift,” Arngeir stammered, looking up at Danny, “Well, learning a Word of Power is only the first step… you must unlock its meaning through constant meditation and practice in order to use it as a Shout,” he paused for a moment, regarding both the Dragonborn and his fellow Greybeards, “Well, that is how the rest of us learn Shouts. As Dragonborn, you can absorb a slain dragon’s knowledge and life force directly. Now, Master Einarth will allow you to tap into his understanding of Unrelenting Force.”

Arngeir motioned for Danny to approach the other Greybeard, in which Danny obeyed. Einarth bowed to the Dragonborn, releasing a colorful wind that enveloped the two. The winds passed between the two Nords, gushing around them for a few moments until it finally stopped. The aches and pains from her climb from High Hrothgar were completely diminished, and replaced with the energy of the colorful winds. Danny took a deep sigh, closing her eyes for a moment before looking back at Arngeir again.

“So… I can use the Shout now?”

“That is what we expect. Now, let us see how quickly you can master your new Thu’um,” Arngeir turned to Laura and Kirsch, who jumped at his voice, “You are the Dragonborn’s friends, yes? Perhaps you would be so kind to assemble those old pots to the center of this room?” He pointed at a pile of pottery that sat by the entrance. Wordlessly the two adventurers nodded, hustling to grab pots and pile them into the center.  
The Greybeards moved to the four corners of the room, Einarth wordlessly walking by Laura and Kirsch. Danny stood quietly against the front wall so that she could face the center, watching the movements of every Greybeard. Eventually, a tall stack of pottery had been assembled in the center, and the Dragonborn’s companions quickly receded to their original places.

“Focus your Thu’um at the pots, Dragonborn,” Arngeir commanded. Danny let in a deep breath and closed her eyes, allowing the words to settle into her mind. She let silence gather into the dark room before unleashing her Voice.

“FUS RO DAH!” her Voice ripped through the quiet, strong and thundering. The pots were thrown in every which direction of the room, and two of the Greybeards facing her several feet away were thrown against the wall. The back door, which was at least thirty feet away, was violently ripped open by the sudden force, exposing the people within High Hrothgar to the blizzard outside before it shut with an ominous bang. Danny took a few wavering steps back to regain her balance, taking careful breaths as she surveyed the destruction. The Greybeards who had been knocked down quickly rose to their feet, as if age had not yet affected them. She wanted to look back at her friends to see their reaction, but she chose to keep her eyes trained on the Greybeards.

“Impressive. You show great promise, Dragonborn.”

“Thank you,” Danny acknowledged the Greybeard respectively.

“Good. Now, follow me,” Arngeir commanded. The Greybeards began heading towards the door in the back of the room, where Danny had originally pushed it open with her Thu’um. Laura and Kirsch were immediately by her side as they followed the elderly men.

“Man, these guys are shallow. That was a bit more than ‘impressive’, psycho!”

“That was incredible, Danny! You’re going to be an amazing Dragonborn!”

Danny looked back at the two adventurers, a small smile on her lips. “I… I don’t know what to think right now. It’s all so… strange.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Laura gave her a reassuring smile, “This is pretty insane. Nobody could blame you for feeling confused.” Danny let out a light chuckle before the doors to the courtyard were forced open, unveiling the cold that surrounded the sanctuary of stone. The three adventurers quickly threw their hoods over their heads, prepared for the storm that awaited outside.

They were surprised to find that the storm had ceased, and a light snow began to fall. A massive bonfire was lit on a stone platform several feet away, which lit the snow on the ground in front of them. She turned to see a massive gate in front of her, marked by stone pillars. It didn’t seem to be an entrance for anything in particular, as only ten feet of snow and a dropping cliff face lay beyond it.

“We will now see how you learn a completely new Shout,” Arngeir began, “Master Borri will teach you a Shout that we call ‘Whirlwind Sprint’.”

One of the Greybeards began to whisper at the ground, causing the dragon language to carve into the ground and melt the snow around it to expose the rock of the mountainside. 

“Wuld,” he whispered.

_**Wuld. Whirlwind.** _

“Nah.”

_**Nah. Fury.** _

“Kest.”

_**Kest. Tempest.** _

The flame within the words sputtered and died, and the falling snow was quick to cover it. Borri bowed to the Dragonborn, and Danny felt a sudden burst of adrenaline as the winds of energy enveloped her again. She let the winds warm her cold body until they disappeared once again.

“I think I got it,” Danny told Borri, “Thank you.” 

The ancient man did not speak, but merely nodded.

“Please forgive us,” Arngeir explained to the Dragonborn, “But it is only I that can speak. They can only speak the language of dragons, and could send the entire mountain crumbling down if they spoke.” Danny’s eyes grew wide as she looked upon the other three Greybeards.

“Oh gods, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. We must get back to the trial,” Arngeir explained, motioning to the gate on their left. The group walked over to the gate, but Borri stopped them once they reached two pillars that marked a spot several feet away from the iron gate. He continued to walk to the gate, and eventually approached it on the left. A lever sat ready, and Danny could only guess that it would open the gate.

“Master Wulfgar will demonstrate the Shout. Then it will be your turn,” Arngeir spoke. Borri pulled down on the lever, and the iron gate retracted quickly. Danny could see that it would only stay open for a limited amount of time, as Borri was struggling to keep the lever down, even with both hands firmly against it. 

“WULD NAH KEST!” Wulfgar’s Voice boomed, and his body was thrown through the gate. He landed directly on the other side, looking over the edge of the cliff before retreating to Borri. The other Greybeard let go of the lever quickly, and the gate crashed. Wulfgar took the Greybeard’s place, ready to pull down on the lever.

“Stand next to me, now. Whenever you are ready.”

Danny’s heart began to pump violently as she looked across the gate and to the edge of the mountainside. It was at least forty feet away from her, but Wulfgar had cleared that much distance with the Shout easily. She looked back at Laura and Kirsch, who both had their arms folded and were watching nervously. Danny gave a weak smile before turning back to Arngeir.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

Silence ensued for a short moment before the sound of retracting iron could be heard from the gate in front of her.

Can’t think now. Just do it.

“WULD NAH KEST!”

Danny felt herself being thrown forward violently, and was suddenly looking down a massive cliff face. She could see the dots of homes that made up Ivarstead at the bottom, little ants that were surrounded by the mass of trees that was Skyrim’s landscape. She could feel her feet begin to slip against the icy rock, and her body began to fall forward.

“Fus,” she whispered, and the force of her Voice threw her backwards. She fell straight onto her back, the snow absorbing her all. She let out a little grunt of pain, her heart pumping frantically. Laura and Kirsch were at her side immediately, and Kirsch offered a strong arm to help her up. Danny regarded the hand for a moment before taking it, rising to her feet quickly.

“Are you alright, Dragonborn?” Arngeir implored as the Greybeards approached them.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

Arngeir chuckled at the three young travelers, then focused back at Danny, “Your quick mastery of the Thu’um is… astonishing. What you learned today could take decades for mortals such as us. I had heard the stories of the abilities of Dragonborn, but to see it for myself…” his voice trailed off, looking up at the tall Nord.

“Thank you,” Danny responded politely. She paused for a moment before speaking again, “I don’t know how I do it. I just… know.”

“Well, you are now ready for your final trail.”

“Wait, there’s more of them?” Laura spoke up.

“Yes, one more. You may be of use to the Dragonborn in this particular trial,” he turned back to Danny, “Retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, our founder, from the tomb in the ancient fane of Ustengraav. You will find the ruin in the marshes outside of Morthal. Remain true to the way of the Voice, and you will survive.”

“Alright, we’ll do it,” Danny responded.

“Good. Now, we must really return to our duties, and I suggest that you leave immediately. Good luck, Dragonborn,” Arngeir finished hastily. With a polite bow, the Greybeards began to walk towards the sanctuary. Danny watched them quietly as Kirsch and Laura walked up to her.

“That’s it?” Kirsch asked, “No goodbye?”

“Talk about antisocial,” Danny muttered before storming towards the group of elderly men, “Hang on! I have some questions.” Arngeir turned to face her, his feet still taking careful steps backwards in the snow so he could follow the other Greybeards.

“You’re leaving us in the dark here! Why am I Dragonborn?” Danny implored, “Does it have to do with the dragons returning? Why is this happening?”

“No doubt. The appearance of a Dragonborn at this time is not an accident, your destiny is surely bound up with the return of the dragons. You must remain true to the Way of the Voice, and your path will become clear in time.”

“But there has to be more to it than that.”

“Yes, but you are not ready to understand. You must leave. Ustengraav is a long journey,” Arngeir said flatly, and he retreated silently into the main sanctuary along with the other Greybeards. 

“The hell was that?” Kirsch exclaimed as the door to the courtyard shut with a bang.

“I don’t know, but we don’t really have a choice, do we?” Laura muttered, “This is our only lead, then we need to get the horn.” Danny nodded in agreement.

“I can’t stand these guys, but you’re right,” Danny decided, letting out a small sigh, “We can set up camp here for tonight, and leave in the morning. I don’t think they’ll let you and Kirsch back in.”


	14. The Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Supremacy** by Muse

“Ugh, I can’t STAND them!” Laura groaned as the three adventurers walked down the path. Ivarstead sat along the little river beneath them as they passed by the first emblem that they encountered on their climb up the seven thousand steps. Thankfully, the downhill hike down the mountain was considerably easier. A pilgrim meditated peacefully in front of the emblem, an amulet of Kynareth wrapped around his neck. He jumped at the sound of Laura’s bickering, and gave an annoyed glare at the group as they walked by. Danny couldn’t help but laugh to herself.

“There are dragons returning to Tamriel. DRAGONS. And what do they do? They sit up there in their little sanctuary and pray. And they won’t accept us because we don’t have dragon blood? Really!? Even if we’re not Dragonborn, they could at least treat Kirsch and I with some respect.”

“Thank the Gods you never became a priestess, Hollis,” Danny pointed out. The water wheel of the mill could be heard as they traveled closer to the sleepy town of Ivarstead.

“At the least, they could be helping with the war,” Kirsch continued the conversation, “I mean, Ulfric was trained by the Greybeards when he was just a kid. He spent a whole decade learning the Way of the Voice.”

“Kirsch, he killed the High King with his Voice. I highly doubt they approved of that,” Danny argued, “Honestly, I can’t blame him for going against them like that. I was pretty close to Shouting them off the mountain myself.” The party erupted into laughter. Danny could see Klimmek across the river, whistling to himself as he cast a fishing line into the clear water.

“Huh,” Laura spoke, and the two Nords looked down at her, “Wait a minute. You and Ulfric were at Helgen when it got attacked, right?” Danny and Kirsch nodded to the little Breton.

“You think the dragon was trying to save you guys? Maybe he sensed your ability to Shout?”

“Maybe,” Danny acknowledged, “I mean, he didn’t seem like a particularly friendly dragon…” Kirsch let out another laugh.

“But… maybe. We really don’t know what’s going on here, we need to keep an open mind about this,” Danny’s words were cut short when a black shadow passed over the group. They all stared at each other until the shadow left the three travelers. An ear-splitting roar rocked the earth beneath them. Danny looked to the skies to see a winged beast fly over them, its scales gleaming like falling snow. 

“DRAGON!!” Kirsch roared as the party charged across the stone bridge that connected the path to High Hrothgar to Ivarstead. The town guard was immediately alert, all of them gripping their bows tightly as they watched the dragon circle around the towering mountain that protected the little village.

“Zeta, get the villagers out of the building before they catch fire!”

“I’ll take them to the guard tower!” Kirsch turned his head to yell back. He sprinted towards the inn, ripping the door open and heading inside. After a few moments, he sprinted out of the inn and towards the stone guard tower at the border of the village, a mob of townspeople running after him. The dragon swooped down on the inn, fire spewing from its jaws. The wooden inn immediately went up in flames, and Kirsch turned his head back to see the destruction that he had barely escaped.

“Get the fishermen out of the rivers! I’ll go the big farm and the mill!” Laura screeched before taking off. Danny jumped off of the short bridge and into the banks of the river below, landing softly on her feet. By this time, all of the fisherman had left the banks, except Klimmek. He frantically grabbed his supplies before rushing to Danny’s side.

“So I take it your pilgrimage didn’t go as well as planned,” he panted as she helped him climb up the bank, “I’ve seen this dragon around. I suspected he had been living along the slopes of the mountain, but I never thought he’d make it here.”

“Gods, maybe you should have warned us that there was, I don’t know, a goddamn DRAGON on the path?!”

“Ay, watch your mouth, priestess.” Danny groaned at the older man she helped along the main road. Danny saw that Laura was running in front of her and Klimmek, a few villagers following her lead. 

“GO TO THE TOWER!” Laura commanded, pointing in the direction of the stone building. She stopped running as she ushered the frightened villagers.

“Klimmek, follow them. I have some business with this dragon,” Danny ordered. The fisherman looked up at the Nord in awe.

“You can’t fight it! Have you not heard the stories? Its soul is immortal, priestess. You cannot kill it,” he begged the young woman, his eyes wide with fear, “Only the Dragonborn can do that, and the Dragonborn is not here. Don’t you see? We’re doomed, priestess!”

Laura looked up at Danny, her brows furrowed. Danny looked back down at the old Nord, and her eyes began to glow like that of a beast.

“I’m not a priestess, Klimmek. Why do you think I came to Ivarstead in the first place?” she asked him softly. His eyebrows raised, and he took a step back, “I can kill it. Just go to the tower.” Klimmek nodded solemnly, just as a black shadow passed over the main road.

“Til hi los, Dovahkiin. Zu'u lost kosaan fun rotmindol joor hun lost kosaan bel het.”

Danny looked directly above her to see a great white serpent, its scales gleaming against the rays of the midday sun. It was a fair distance above her as it levitated in the air, its massive wings pumping to keep it airborne. She found herself holding her breath, as if every organ in her body had stilled at the presence of the great beast. She managed to turn her head to look at Laura.

“Laura, get them to safety. Get Kirsch and join back up with me once everyone’s safe.” Laura gave a swift nod before running alongside Klimmek to the guard tower. Danny turned back to face the dragon. She could see saliva dripping from its partially opened mouth, its teeth sharp and gleaming like swords. Both adrenaline and fear flowed through her veins as she looked at the dragon directly in the eye.

“What the hell do you want with these people?” Danny growled at the dragon, drawing her sword quickly, “I have so many goddamned questions about how your kind returned, and why you’ve returned and… Gods, I don’t even care. I don’t even care when all I see is innocent people’s lives being taken by your kind. Why in Oblivion do you need to do this?” She took her shield from her back, holding it in front of her body. Laura and Kirsch began to run towards her, as well as half of the town guard. Danny looked back at them, letting out a sigh of relief knowing that the town had been evacuated safely. She looked straight back at the dragon, her eyes gleaming with rage.

“I don’t even care if your kind exist here. Just leave my people alone,” she stated flatly.

The dragon laughed at the human, a bellowing laugh that rocked the earth. He landed neatly onto the ground in front of Danny, sending shockwaves into the earth. Danny, Kirsch, and Laura were thrown back at the impact, as well as all of the town guard within several feet of the dragon. Danny’s vision blurred for a moment before she could see the dragon’s face several feet away from her, watching her closely. She raised her head from where she lay on her back, frantically looking to see if her friends were safe. She could see Kirsch was beginning to prop himself up, grabbing his greatsword that had fallen next to him. She noticed that his arm was stained in blood as he grabbed his weapon. She looked to her left to see a small body slumped over on a patch of bloodstained grass, her light hair falling over her shoulders as her back faced the Dragonborn. With her werewolf senses alert, Danny could tell that she was still breathing, but her scent was almost masked by the smell of fresh blood.

_Laura._

“Hinzaal joor!” Danny’s attention was forced back to the dragon in front of her. The dragon’s mouth opened in an ungodly laugh, saliva clinging to its jaws, “The dov are greater than your puny mortals!”  
Danny looked back at Laura’s motionless body, and then turned to see the guards behind her. Many were struggling to get to their feet, and one guard was using a healing spell on Kirsch and a few others. The dragon seemed to be absorbed in the conversation, and made no notice of what was happening behind the Dragonborn.

“Oh really, why is that?” she asked the great beast in front of her.

“Dez do Dovah ahrk muz, we once ruled over your kind as slaves. Dovah los reldaal, as it should be! Aar hi ont lost, aar hi fen kos einzuk!”

“And why are you telling me all of this?” Danny implored, her voice pained. She looked down to see a guard’s helmet lying beside her. It looked as if it was her size, as it was made of iron and had the horns of a goat attached to it. She picked it up carefully, not taking her eyes off of the dragon. 

“Because your kind will fall, Dovahkiin. You do not know of what power the dov possess. I will kill you before you can even begin to understand the power of your mortal Thu’um. I will Shout you down, Hi fen qiilaan wah dii avokei Zul!”

 _Enough stalling, Lawrence._ She fitted the helmet onto her head and thrusted her sword at the dragon.

“WULD NAH KEST!” Danny Shouted, the winds of her Voice flinging her body at the dragon. She was projected straight at the dragon’s mouth, which he opened widely.

“TIID KLO UL!” the dragon Shouted back, and her motion of her body suddenly slowed. Her world turned a ghostly blue, and she moved her head slowly to see that the movements of the guard behind her had been slowed. Kirsch was in mid scream as his widened eyes were looking directly at Danny. 

_**Tiid. Time.** _

_**Klo. Sand.** _

_**Ul. Eternity.** _

She turned her head to see the jaws of the dragon opening in front of her, and she avoided the teeth of her opponent easily in the sudden slowness of time. She carefully gripped one of its front teeth, and put her feet onto its lower jaw as she landed, making the jaw slowly open wider. She looked deep into the mouth of the great beast, seeing a fiery light gleaming within its throat. It seemed to be moving through its throat and into its mouth, like lava slowly trying to make its way to the surface.

_Oh gods, I’m about to get roasted._

“FUS RO DAH!” She Shouted, her voice deep and dragged out in the sudden slowness of time. She projected her Voice into the jaws of the mighty beast, and as the force of her breath hit the throat of the dragon, she could feel the dragon’s shout release the time around her. The blueish tint left the world, and Danny felt herself be thrown tossed into the air and onto the dragon’s snout. The dragon threw its head up into the air, letting out a deafening roar of pain as the fire that was meant to Shout at Danny was sent into its torso by her Thu’um. The scales on his stomach began to glow brightly as his organs were consumed in flame.

She could feel herself sliding off of the dragon’s hide, so she let the claws of the beast within her to grow out. She dug into the dragon’s scales, giving her a smooth landing onto the ground. She ran to fetch her sword, which had fallen after she had shouted into the dragon’s throat. The dragon attempted to take to the skies, but after three beats of his mighty wings he plummeted into the burning inn, sending wood and glass shards flying in all directions. Danny saw her shield lying beside Laura’s unconscious body.

“Wuld,” she whispered, sending her body over to Laura and the shield. She took the shield quickly using it to protect both Laura and herself from the flying glass and wood.

“Danny…” the Nord heard the little Breton choke out. Danny looked down at Laura, who had a weak healing spell in her hand. Laura’s forehead was covered in dried blood, but the golden light of the spell surrounded the little Breton’s body.

“Thank the gods,” Danny breathed, looking down at the injured warrior, “Hang in there, Laura. We’ll be okay.” Laura gave a pained nod, and continued to heal herself. 

Once they were safe from the projectiles, Danny jumped to her feet. She could feel a strange sense of energy about her, and looked down to see colorful wind spiraling about her. She looked up in surprise to see that the dragon was still alive, its neck held high against the destruction of the inn that it sat upon. However, it was clearly dying, as the burning of the dragon that had been caused by its own Thu’um was consuming its torso, which caused the orange winds of its soul to begin to attach to the Dragonborn.

“Your claws were in my scales, dii Zul ko dii skerah, but you cannot have my soul… Dovahgrohiik,” the dragon’s voice cracked, mighty yet vulnerable in the face of the Dragonborn. Its last word thundered, making the skies shudder as the Greybeards had done when Danny was in Whiterun. The dragon raised its white wing from what used to be the roof of the inn, placing it towards Danny in an effort to move forward. It bent its neck so that it could put its head level with the floor, directly in front of Danny.

“Your soul is mine,” Danny taunted him, “You’re already dead. You should never have messed with mankind.”

“Zu'u aal lost faal Zul… fah gein laat Zaan…” its voice shuddered in its native tongue, its head snaking to approach Danny.

“FIGHT ME, LIZARD!” Kirsch roared, running straight under the dragon’s neck. He gripped his greatsword and thrusted it straight into the dragon’s neck making it roar and sputter. Blood dripped from the dragon’s mouth as its mighty head hit the ground in defeat. The dragon’s body rolled to the side, crushing the tall pine beside the rubble of the inn. The pine groaned and creaked before it tilted towards the river and crashed to the ground, hitting an abandoned farmhouse across the river. Kirsch had fallen backwards once the dragon had collapsed, but he quickly got to his feet. His sword was still impaled in the beast’s throat.

“Well,” Kirsch muttered, “Good luck getting that out.”

The winds of the dragon’s soul increased in size as it swarmed to Danny, and the rest of the dragon’s scales began to burn away much like its stomach had. Kirsch backed away quickly, watching his sword as the dragon’s skin burned around the bloodied metal. Danny closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the wind took hold of her, and she gladly accepted the burst of adrenaline that came with it. Once she opened them again, the winds had vanished, and the skeletal frame of the dragon remained. Kirsch stepped proudly up to the skeleton, and easily pulled his greatsword out of the bone of the dragon.

“We make a good team, psycho,” Kirsch joked. Danny smiled at the other Nord despite the painful sting from a cut on her nose, but then whipped her head to the right after seeing something in the corner of her eye. The villagers streamed out of the stone guard tower, bright smiles on their faces. Many were hugging each other and speaking in loud, excited voices in rejoice of the dead dragon.

“Where’s Laura?” Kirsch asked, and Danny’s breath was caught in her throat. She turned to where Laura had been lying to see that she was now leaning against a tree a few feet away, watching the golden light of the healing spell in front of her, which seemed to be growing stronger.

“Laura!” Kirsch ran over to her, Danny at his heels. They both knelt down on the ground beside her, and Danny summoned a weak healing spell in her hands, putting it on Laura’s bloodied forehead.  
“Hey, you doing alright? You must have hit your head when the dragon landed.”

“Hey, I’m fine, I’m fine. I can heal myself,” Laura pushed Danny’s hand away, putting her own healing spell on her forehead. 

“You had us worried there. You were out cold,” Kirsch explained, “Let us know if you need anything.”

“I’m alright, but thanks,” Laura said, her voice less pained. The golden light within her spell began to dim, and she looked up at her two companions, “I uh… I guess I could use a magicka potion right about now.”  
Danny rummaged through her backpack, pulling out a blue bottle. She tossed it to Laura, who eagerly uncorked the bottle and began to chug the liquid within.

“Drink up, Hollis.” Danny laughed.

Loud voices erupted in the now peaceful air, and the three adventurers turned around to witness the cause of it. A scrawny Imperial man argued with a guard on the main road, the dragon sitting in a heap mere feet away from them. The disgruntled Imperial held a small piece of parchment in one hand, as he used the other to make expressions at the guard.

“Look, I didn’t just come here and survive a dragon attack for nothing!”

“Sir, the town is a mess right now, if you haven’t noticed. I have no idea where this woman is.”

“I need to deliver this to Lawrence immediately!” Danny became fully alert at the sound of her name, and jumped to her feet. Kirsch stared at her, wide-eyed. 

“You said my name?” Danny asked as she approached the shorter man.

“You’re Danny Lawrence?”

“Yeah, I overheard you guys talking. You have a note for me?”

“Yeah. Got paid pretty well to give it to you by some creepy fella. Black robe, couldn’t see her face. I don’t know what kind of mess you’ve gotten yourself into, but… be careful.” He handed the letter to Danny, who accepted it in turn. She raised the parchment to her face so that she could read it.

_Dragonborn-_

_I need to speak with you urgently. I have the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, and you can have it once we speak._

_Rent the attic room in the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, and we’ll talk._

_-A friend_

“Well, it looks like we won’t be going to Morthal,” Danny exclaimed, “I never liked those creepy swamps anyway.”


	15. The Innkeeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Polarize** by Twenty One Pilots (Carmilla's Theme)

The soft whistle of a flute and the plucking of strings flowed into the party’s ears as they entered the Sleeping Giant Inn. It seemed as if no time had passed between then since Danny and Kirsch had arrived from their daring escape from Helgen. Orgnar still stood behind the bar, waiting for a customer to order a drink. The flute player halted in her music at the sight of the adventurers, watching them with cunning eyes. Danny could feel her legs ache from the two day journey back to the little inn in Whiterun Hold.

_She was the girl that served us drinks after we escaped Helgen_ , Danny realized, watching the innkeeper carefully. The mysterious girl stood up from the wall she had been leaning against, a smirk appearing on her lips as she approached the group. Her ebony black hair was still held up in a bun, but her long bangs were still draped over her right eye. The girl’s eyes looked over at the group, and Danny could sense that her eyes had a raw hunger to them. The innkeeper’s gaze stayed with Laura slightly longer than the two Nords.

Something seemed off about this girl. She was not much taller than Laura, and looked as if she clearly did not want to be there. Danny opened her mouth slightly, letting her werebeast senses analyze the innkeeper. Danny took a sharp step back when the innkeeper’s smell hit her nose. The pale girl didn’t have the usual pungent smell of a human, as she seemed to have no scent at all. Guessing that her senses were fooling her, Danny let her hearing take over instead. Listening carefully to her surroundings, Danny took another step back from the innkeeper at her discovery.

She had no heartbeat.

Danny shook her head, focusing her attention to Laura. Her werewolf senses quickly picked up the Breton’s heartbeat, as it thumped rhythmically in her chest. It seemed to be slightly increased when the innkeeper glanced at her, but beating all the same. Her senses were working just fine. She focused back on the innkeeper. Nothing. 

If she had no heartbeat, she couldn’t possibly be alive. The Nordic girl searched her mind for possible answers to the still heart. She was clearly some kind of undead being. She couldn’t be a draugr, as they did not function like humans and their bodies decayed. It couldn’t be a corpse resurrected by a common necromancer, as she wouldn’t have stayed alive for this long. Danny nearly gasped when realization hit her. She must have been a vampire, as that was the only logical reasoning behind that still heart. 

“So you came back,” the innkeeper sighed, pushing her long bangs to the side, “And you brought a friend. Lovely.” Her tone was flat and bored, but her hungry eyes still watched the three adventurers carefully, “You need anything?”

“We want to rent the attic room,” Danny told the shorter girl, her arms crossed. The innkeeper’s eyebrows raised curiously at Danny’s request.

“Attic room? Well, we don’t have an attic room, cutie. You can have the big room on the right.” The Imperial girl’s heart was silent as she motioned toward the door. Laura gave her thanks to the mysterious innkeeper before the group filed into the room. It was a nice place, complete with a master bed and a large dresser, as well as a tall wardrobe that leaned against the wall on the right hand side. They sat in silence for a moment before the innkeeper followed them into the room, shutting the wooden door behind her. 

“So, which one of you is this Dragonborn I’ve been hearing all about?” the innkeeper asked casually. She moved towards one of the wooden dressers, pulling out an ornate horn of carved bone. Kirsch leaned closer at the sight of the horn, his eyes gleaming at its beauty.

“Right here,” Danny responded, and the Imperial handed the horn to her by its leather strap. Danny took it gladly, tying it carefully to her belt buckle. 

“Of course,” the innkeeper spoke sarcastically, “Follow me.” There was a clinking of keys as the girl with the silent heart searched for the right one that hung along the belt, and she unlocked the tall wardrobe to her left. When opened, the wardrobe turned out to be empty, but the innkeeper slid the panel in the back of the wardrobe aside to reveal a secret set of stairs. Wordlessly, the group filed in behind her, but Danny could see that Kirsch was beginning to grow tense, his hand ready to pull the greatsword off of his back. This could be a trap, for all Danny knew, but she had no other choice but to follow the mysterious innkeeper.

The staircase revealed a small room, a table sitting at the center. An alchemy table sat in the corner, and a cupboard filled with various alchemy ingredients sat next to it. There were several weapon racks and chests lined along the walls, holding various weapons and armor. Upon closer inspection, the table had a map spread on top of it, marked with daggers in various locations. Books were piled on the floors and cupboards along the wall, as well as a very familiar-looking stone tablet.

“The Dragonstone,” Laura said, astonished, “That’s right, you were that girl at Dragonsreach! You were working with the court wizard!”

“So you were paying attention,” the innkeeper looked over at the little Breton, a smirk on her face, “My name’s Carmilla. We’ll all have to get very well acquainted with one another.”

“You say it like it’s the end of the world,” Laura joked.

“That’s the problem, cutie. It could be,” She turned her head back to Danny, her smirk turning to a frown, “With these dragons flying around, I hope the Greybeards were right about you being the Dragonborn.”

“Whoa, hold on,” Kirsch butted in, looking over at Carmilla, “You got the horn? From an ancient tomb filled with who-knows-what?”

“Yeah, I guess I’m getting good at my harmless innkeeper act,” Carmilla told him, “The cloak and dagger is necessary. Thalmor spies are everywhere.”

“I know what you mean,” Danny mentioned quietly, pausing when Carmilla’s hungry gaze fell to the tall Nord, “I’m on the run from them. They think I’m dead, so I don’t have to hide as much anymore.” Laura and Kirsch gave the Dragonborn looks of bewilderment. The stillness of Carmilla’s heart made Danny feel uneasy, on top of her sudden need to bring up her past.

“So you know why I went out to get the horn. I had to make sure it wasn’t a Thalmor trap,” Carmilla explained, chuckling to herself, “I honestly wasn’t expecting the Dragonborn to be a werewolf.”

Stunned, Danny took a step back at Carmilla’s statement, her hand going to the hilt of her sword, “How in Oblivion do you know about that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You smell like a wet dog,” Carmilla’s gaze snapped to Kirsch, “Don’t think I’m forgetting you, teddy bear.”

“Then why should we trust you, vampire?” the words fell out of the Dragonborn’s mouth, drawing her sword and putting the blade between her and the innkeeper. Laura and Kirsch immediately backed away, reaching for their weapons. Danny did not break the gaze of the vampire as they stood on opposite ends of the table, both standing tall and dominant. She could hear the sound of metal as Kirsch pulled the greatsword off of his back, and Laura reluctantly unsheathed her sword. Carmilla stood still, still standing tall against the three blades.

“By the Gods, her heart isn’t beating,” Kirsch muttered, “It’s a trap!”

“It’s not a trap,” Carmilla assured, stepping forward so that her legs touched the wooden table, “Look, I’m not your enemy. We both have similar interests. We need to figure out why the dragons have come back. I don’t like the idea of it either, but we’re going to have to work with each other if we want to figure this out.”

“How do we know you’re not lying to us?” Laura demanded, “I mean… you’re not even human!”

“Cutie, you’re friends are just as human as I am,” Carmilla’s gaze shifted to Laura, “You need to figure out where you should put your trust. And if you didn’t trust me, you were all fools to walk in here in the first place.”

 

Danny studied the vampire carefully, still feeling uncomfortable in the stillness of her heart. Carmilla had claimed she was on the run from the Thalmor, which had caught Danny’s interest. She must have been working on something big, if she had caught the elves’ attention. Slowly, the Dragonborn began to lower her sword, looking back at her friends behind her as she sheathed it. Kirsch had a quizzical look on his face, and Laura sighed a breath of relief as they both copied Danny’s actions.

Vampire or not, if the innkeeper hated the Thalmor as much as Danny did, then they had something to work with.

“Alright, fangface,” Danny commanded, “What in Oblivion do you want from us?” Carmilla sighed, relaxing her shoulders and putting her hands onto the wooden table.

“I’m part of a very old group that’s been looking for your kind for a very long time. Since the death of Martin Septim at the end of the Third Era, actually,” She analyzed the three adventurers, “I was there during the Oblivion Crisis, but that’s another story. Gods, I’ve said enough. I’ll tell you more once I know you really are the Dragonborn.”

“That’s hardly fair,” Danny countered.

“Look, this is classified information. I’ll tell you everything once I know for a fact that you’re Dragonborn.”

“Then how are we going to prove it?” Laura asked the vampire.

“Well, my group remembers something that most don’t; that the Dragonborn is the ultimate dragonslayer. Sasquatch over here is the only one who can kill a dragon permanently by devouring its soul,” the vampire turned to address the tall Nord, “Can you do it? Can you devour a dragon’s soul?”

“Yeah, I’ve done it,” Danny responded.

“Alright, we’ll put you to the test soon enough,” Carmilla explained, “The problem is that dragons aren’t just coming back. They’re coming back to life. They weren’t gone for all these years, they were all killed off in the Dragon War, long before my time.”

“How do you know?” Kirsch questioned, “Do you know how crazy this sounds?”

Carmilla turned to Laura, the two shorter girls locking eyes.

“You remember the Dragonstone, right?” the vampire asked her.

“Huh? Yeah, you and the court mage were talking about it before the dragon attacked in Whiterun,” Laura began, pausing for a moment, “Wait… didn’t I see you take off with the Dragonstone when we got the news about the dragon?”

“Yeah, I had to go see it for myself,” Carmilla told her, looking back at the whole group, “I work behind the scenes, make things happen. Best way to work things out with the Thalmor on your tail. Anyways, the Dragonstone is a map of ancient dragon burial sites.” Carmilla put the tablet down on the center of the table for the entire group to see. The three adventurers got closer to the table, analyzing it carefully. Danny realized that the scribbles on the stone was, in fact, a map of Skyrim, with X’s on various parts of the map.

“I’ve traveled to all of their ancient burial sites, and a lot of them are empty. I’m just as surprised as the rest of you,” Carmilla responded, motioning to the map that lay across the table, “There’s a clear pattern here. It looks like the next dragon to come back will be in Kynesgrove. So we’re going to go up there and we’re going to kill it, and sasquatch will have a chance to prove she’s really the Dragonborn. And if we get there before the dragon comes back to life, maybe we’ll learn how to stop it.”

“You figured this out all on your own?” Laura asked, astonished. Carmilla chuckled at the little Breton.

“I’ve only had three hundred years, cupcake,” she joked.

Danny looked over at her friends, Carmilla’s plans turning over in her mind. Laura looked more than eager to go, and Kirsch had a look of confusion spread across his face. Danny guessed that he was still in the process of understanding the plan.

“Alright, let’s go kill a dragon,” Danny stated, looking down at the vampire, “But let us stay the night here. We need rest from our last hike from Ivarstead.”

“Fine. We leave first thing tomorrow. You two can take the smaller rooms across the inn,” she told them.

Their stay at the inn was oddly peaceful considering the events of the past week, but Danny fully welcomed the calmness. Kirsch sipped on his mead happily, trying to pick up a conversation with everyone in the bar and hit on every woman, which didn’t seem to work out for him. Danny socialized with both Kirsch and Laura as she sat by the blazing fire, but she tried to avoid the vampire. The silent heart still made her feel uneasy. She noticed that unlike her, Laura didn’t seem to mind the vampire. In fact, she spent much of the night having conversations with her, the little Breton’s face shining when she began to rant about whatever subject they were on. Danny couldn’t help but chuckle at the shorter girls, as Carmilla looked mildly irritated.

The night came and went, and adventurers were awoken from their warm beds by the clanking of metal against armor. Carmilla stood waiting for the party as they overcame their early morning drowsiness; her curly black hair was no longer pulled back and fell freely onto her shoulders, and she wore black plated armor. A sword of gold stood out in her adventuring gear, hanging from its hilt upon her belt and glimmering in the dim firelight of the inn. Being an aspiring blacksmith, Laura immediately questioned Carmilla about the blade.

“It’s the Blade of Hastur,” Carmilla replied to Laura’s questioning, “Legend says that the dragons forged it for Boethiah.” The vampire paused before suddenly questioning the Breton, “Do you know who Boethiah is?”

“Yeah, I think so. Daedra of treachery and deceit ring a bell?”

Carmilla chuckled at Laura’s comment, continuing her conversation, “Well, the sword was created to protect the dragons. Somehow it got in my hands, someone whose aim is to wipe out the dragons. Seems ironic, don't you think?”

“Well, maybe they put their trust in the wrong Daedric Lord,” Laura countered. Danny adjusted her backpack, and began to head towards the door of the inn.

“Come on, we need to get to Kynesgrove before the dragon wakes up,” the Dragonborn told them, Kirsch following her as she walked out into the morning sunlight. She was surprised to find four horses tied to the fencing around the inn, watching her curiously with dark eyes. The horse on the far left had a beautiful white coat and a pink nose, and it watched Danny with large black eyes. The horse next to it was a pale brown, resembling sand on a beach. The horse to the right of the entrance of the inn had a warm chestnut coat, and moved its head about nervously. Carmilla walked past the Dragonborn and down the steps, untying the black horse on the far right of the inn. Danny almost jumped when she realized the horse was watching her with glowing red eyes.

“What in Oblivion is that thing?” the words tumbled out of her mouth.

“This ‘thing’ is Shadowmere. Got him from the Dark Brotherhood. He’s immortal, like me,” when met with the looks of horror on the three adventurer’s faces, she scoffed, “What? With the Thalmor looking for me, I can’t have the biggest group of assassins on my bad side.” She put one foot into the saddle, throwing herself across the horse’s back. 

“Consider it a peace offering,” Carmilla explained, motioning to the three tied horses, “To ensure you don't try to stake me. Besides, if we’re going to get rid of these dragons, we can’t waste time walking everywhere.”

“Um, thanks,” Kirsch muttered, walking up to the pale brown horse and untying it from the fence. Laura took the chestnut horse, leaving Danny with the white horse. As soon as everyone mounted, they set off along the trail, as if their adventure had just begun anew.


	16. Kynesgrove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Message Man** by Twenty One Pilots

The landscape around the main cobblestone road began to change from volcanic tundra to a wintry forest as the little village of Kynesgrove came into view. Snow began to fall lightly from the clouded sky, turning the snow a dirty white. The four adventurers allowed their horses to trot slowly towards the stables, as they were all exhausted from the two day’s journey that they had undertaken. Danny’s muscles ached from the many hours on horseback, but she ignored it. The only one who didn’t seem to be affected was Carmilla, who sat tall on the back of Shadowmere. The red eyes of the vampire’s steed still sent chills down Danny’s spine whenever she looked at the creature.

“Thank the Gods we’re here,” Kirsch breathed, clearly as tired as Laura and Danny, “I need a stamina potion badly.” 

Danny reached for a leather bag on her belt, her hand grasping a little green bottle. She tossed one to Kirsch, who rode beside her. He muttered his thanks as he caught the potion. Her hand felt the smooth glass of another green bottle, and tossed it to Laura on her right. The mercenary caught it in midair, popping the cork open and drinking the potion. Danny grabbed a third bottle and closed the leather bag, opening the bottle and letting the liquid slide down her throat. She immediately felt strength come back into her muscles, and the aching pain from being on horseback began to subside. 

“Need one, fangface?” the Dragonborn asked. She could hear the vampire give out an irritated sigh.

“I’m fine.”

The party guided their horses into the stables, and they jumped off of their horses to tie them up. A single building sat against the mountainside, with a wooden sign that read ‘The Braidwood Inn’. A farm was fenced off beside it, growing potatoes and cabbages. There was a few tents as well, for what seemed to be for the workers of the mine that opened up from a crack in the mountainside. Danny could feel an unsettling silence in the village, the only movement coming from the snow that fell around the party and to their feet.

“There’s nobody here,” Kirsch remarked, walking out of the stables after his horse had been tied to the fence post.

“Something’s wrong here,” Carmilla responded, her body bracing itself for an attack. Just as the party walked out of the stables, Danny spotted a woman running towards them. She seemed to be the innkeeper, as she wore a peasant dress and her hair was tied back.

“It’s not safe here!” the woman yelled at the party as she ran towards them, “A dragon, it’s attacking!”

“Where?” Danny immediately asked, standing in front of the group as the innkeeper stopped in her tracks. Danny could see that the woman was shaking to her core in fright.

“It flew over the town and landed on the old dragon mound up the trail,” the innkeeper spoke quickly, “I was serving these two young travelers when it flew over the inn. They saw the dragon and ran after it!”

“Lovely,” Carmilla spoke sarcastically, “Now we have to go save two imbeciles.”

“Well, I don’t know what it’s doing up there, but I’m not waiting around to find out!” the innkeeper exclaimed, “I’ll have no part in this!” With that statement, the innkeeper bolted across the trail that the party had just left, heading towards Windhelm.

“This way!” Laura commanded, running towards the mine. Danny could see a narrow dirt path climbing up the mountain in between the mine and the inn. The rest of the party followed Laura’s lead, all of them covering their head with the hoods of their cloaks to protect themselves from the snow. Danny eventually caught up to Laura, Carmilla and Kirsch following close behind. The tall Nordic girl had been watching her feet so that she wouldn’t trip up the steep path, but when she looked up she felt her breath catch in her throat.

A massive black dragon hovered over the burial mound up the mountain path, its red eyes glittering and its ebony scales contrasting against the white falling snow. The beating of its great wings sending gusts of wind and snow even towards the party, who were only halfway up the path. She could see the force of a Shout emit from the dragon’s earth-shattering roar, and it was being directed at the ground below.

“By the Gods, that’s the dragon from Helgen,” Kirsch muttered. The entire party stopped dead in their tracks at the sight before them.

“You’ve seen it before?” Carmilla asked, looking over at the big Nord.

“Yeah, we would’ve been killed by the Imperials if not for that dragon,” Kirsch replied.

“Interesting. Same dragon.” Carmilla spoke softly to herself, “Come on, let’s get up there and see what he’s doing.” The party took off into a sprint towards the mountaintop, and Danny’s breaths shook with the reminder of Helgen. It didn’t take long before Danny began to hear someone speak up, but this time it was distant. She listened carefully at the voices, her werewolf senses able to pick up the audible voices.

“I never agreed to this!”

“Come on, Perr, imagine the samples we could get off this big guy!”

“LaFontaine, this is a dragon. This is too dangerous! I can’t have you taking off like this without thinking of the consequences!”

“Well, there’s the two idiots she was talking about,” Carmilla muttered under her breath.

The party turned a sharp corner on the path to see the dragon burial mound lying before them, with some sort of energy radiating from it. Danny quickly identified it as a dragon soul, as it looked like the same energy that she would absorb when she would slay a dragon. The great dark serpent hovered directly to their right, unaware of their presence as he was fixated on the mound in front of them. Danny noticed a huge bolder sitting along the path, and quickly dove in behind it to avoid detection. She felt a soft bump of a shoulder and nearly jumped in surprise, her wide eyes watching a Breton with short red hair. The Breton was clad in simple mage robes, lined with fur to keep them warm, and an amulet of Julianos wrapped around their neck. Danny could see spare daggers and scrolls lined their belt, and their sea blue eyes shined with a child-like excitement.

“What the-” the Breton began to speak, but was silenced with a shushing noise that Danny could hear coming from behind the mage. The Dragonborn realized that a woman sat beside the Breton, her curly hair falling onto her shoulders. Her shoulders and back were tense and poised for any danger, and her grey eyes scanned her surroundings wildly. Danny noticed a pointy ear sticking out of her curly hair. The Dragonborn moved back in surprise, accidentally bumping into Kirsch, who was sitting beside her to hide from the dragon. Danny looked to her left to see Laura and Carmilla sitting against the rock as well, taking glances at the two new dragon hunters and the great serpent that roared above them.

Danny looked back at the tense woman, analyzing her features. She had the eyes of a human, but her long face had a few clues that she had elf heritage, and the pointy ears were a dead giveaway. She knew that Bretons were considered to have both lineages of Men and Mer, but the lineages were so mixed and so ancient that they were now considered another human race with a natural advantage with magic. This woman’s elf lineage must have been made recently.

The Nord’s thoughts were cut off by the booming sound of the dragon above them.

“Sahloknir! Ziil gro dovah ulse!” the dragon roared, as if speaking to the tomb below him.

“What the frilly hell is this?” Carmilla whispered angrily at the two newcomers on the other side of the boulder.

“Hey, I couldn’t miss this opportunity!” the Breton whispered back, their hands up in mock surrender, “Name’s LaFontaine, I’m with the College of Winterhold. This is Perry. I thought that maybe some dragon scales could help with one of my experiments…”

“That’s not a reason to come blundering up here!” Perry muttered, her eyes wide with panic, “This is… insane! What are you even doing up here? None of us should be here!”

“You said you’re from the College?” Danny inquired. The mage gave a cheesy smile.

“Yeah. One of the best in the Destruction School.”

“You want to help us kill this dragon? You can take as many samples as you need when the job’s finished.”

“Oh, I’m in,” LaFontaine whispered back at Danny without a second thought.

“LaFontaine-” Perry began to protest before she was cut off.

“SLEN TIID VO!” the dragon Shouted at the mound, and the earth shook as the rock that covered the mound blew apart. The group immediately got to their feet, poking their heads over the boulder to see what was happening. Danny and Kirsch had to crouch low to the ground to avoid being seen. The skeleton of another dragon crawled out of the earth, growling up at the hovering black dragon as flame engulfed him. Slowly, the flame turned to bronze scales, which formed together like the pieces of a puzzle. The dragon let out a deep sigh once he formed into a living dragon once again, looking up at the black dragon with fiery eyes.

“Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik?” the resurrected dragon laughed heartily in its native tongue. 

“Geh, Sahloknir, kaali mir,” the great black dragon replied, his ancient wings still sending gusts of wind and snow in all directions. His head suddenly turned to the boulder that they hid behind, his evil red eyes staring at Danny. The cold booming voice of the black dragon send shivers down her spine.

“Ful, losei Dovahkiin? Zu’u koraav nid nol dov do hi.”

Danny could feel her heart grow cold at the sound of her name. She rose from her hiding place, unsheathing her sword. She stepped out onto the trail and looked up at the hovering dragon, unblinking. Perhaps if she exposed herself to the winged serpent, he would not notice the rest of the party hiding behind the boulder. She could not show the fear that shook her to the bone.

The two dragons laughed at the Nordic woman, as if to mock her. The great black dragon spoke again, this time in a tongue that she could understand.

“You do not even know our tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name of Dovah,” the great winged beast laughed again, drawing its attention to the other dragon, “Sahloknir! Krii daar joor.”

“Geh, thuri,” the dragon bowed his head to the black serpent before they both took to the skies. The hovering black dragon beat his wings harder, and within moments he was gliding over the mountain and out of sight. Danny screamed at the dragon as its horned tail flicked over the mountain and disappeared. She turned behind her to see that the rest of the party had left their hiding place, including LaFontaine and Perry. They all stood side by side, weapons unsheathed and bodies poised and focused on the dragon. Carmilla’s golden blade sputtered and burned with the embers of a fire enchantment, a shadowy miasma of a spell in her left hand. LaFontaine’s hands held two large balls of flame, casting orange shadows off of their face. Perry held a small sword in her right hand, a lute strapped across her back. A healing spell was prepared in her left hand, giving off a golden light. Kirsch gripped his massive greatsword with both hands, his brows furrowed. Laura, however, had a smirk on her face, as she had chosen her bow as her weapon to take down the dragon.

Danny took her shield from her back and held it in front of her, a smirk forming on her lips. The dragon began to circle overhead, roaring at the party below. Laura steadied her first arrow, letting it fly into the dragon’s scales. LaFontaine took the shot as their cue to attack, sending flaming balls of fire hurling at the dragon. The dragon roared in pain, flying over the fighters and sending a long shadow over them.

“KRII LUN AUS!” the dragon Shouted, sending a shadowy force down onto the party.

_**Krii. Kill.**_

_**Lun. Leech.** _

_**Aus. Suffer.** _

“FUS RO DAH!” Danny countered, sending a blue force directly at the dragon’s Shout. The two forces collided, pushing the dragon into the air and sending the party falling onto the floor. Danny forced herself onto her feet, only to see Kirsch standing over her. Still crouching down, she watched as Kirsch threw his sword to the ground and began to break into a run. His skin began to form into thick brown fur as he lunged into the air, transforming into a werebear as his sharp claws latched onto the dragon’s leg in midair. He climbed up the dragon’s leg and onto its back, leaving behind deep gouges from his claws. The dragon screeched in pain, losing control of its flight in an attempt to shake off the werebear and crashing into the ground. The party immediately advanced onto the grounded dragon, Laura throwing her bow down for her sword and a dagger. LaFontaine immediately separated from the group and attacked the dragon from the side, surrounding themselves in a cloak of flame now that there was no allies directly beside them. They shot multiple fireballs and bolts of lightning at the dragons torso, and the serpent beast responded by breathing fire in the mage’s direction. They quickly responded by willing a ward spell into their hands, putting up an effective shield of magic to absorb the dragon fire.

Danny charged at the dragon, Carmilla and Laura beside her. Laura rolled underneath the dragon, sending a dagger straight into its belly. The dragon swung its head in pain, colliding with Danny’s raised shield. She was immediately thrown back, and she landed on the ground a few yards away. Shaking her head and opening her eyes, she could see the angry dragon now began to swing its head at Carmilla, who had made an effective slice into the chest of the dragon with her ancient sword. She now used her vampiric blood magic to suck the life out of the dragon, her features seeming to grow younger and smoother as she took in the dragon’s blood and magicka with the shining red spell in her left hand. The dragon missed Carmilla at its swing, but now attacked her with his gaping jaws and razor sharp teeth.

“TIID KLO UL!” Danny’s first reaction was to Shout, the force of her Voice slowing time and turning the world a misty blue. In the sudden slowness of time, Danny could see Laura’s mouth open in mid-scream as she watched Carmilla fight the fearsome beast. Her blood magic still taking the dragon’s life force, Carmilla’s head was beginning to turn slowly through time, as the deadly teeth of the dragons jaws began to lunge at the vampire. Danny leapt into the air, not bound by the time that she now controlled. 

“WULD NAH KEST!” She Shouted again to hurl her body at the dragon’s gaping mouth. She landed her sword directly into the dragon’s skull, and scales breaking off of its head and flying in every direction to expose bits of skin.

“FUS RO DAH!” She aimed directly at the dragon’s head, forcing the deadly jaws into the mud.

Danny could feel time resume to a normal speed as the blue mist of the world faded away. She hit the earth, rolling over her back and jumping up on her feet quickly. She could hear the deafening crack of bone at the impact of her Shout and the muddy ground, and the dragon lay dead. Carmilla stood stiffly where she had been fighting the dragon moments before, realizing her near escape from death. Danny sheathed her sword, and LaFontaine quickly lowered their fire spells. Perry had a healing spell ready in both hands, her sword sheathed. Carmilla looked around at the group, her eyes finally settling on Laura, who stood just as stiffly as Carmilla. Danny could see three of her daggers piercing the dragon’s belly, blood running freely.

“By the Gods, are you okay?” was the first thing to come from Laura’s lips. A laugh escaped from Carmilla’s lips.

“Yeah, I’m fine, cupcake,” her body relaxed. Laura ran over to give her a hug, and Danny turned back to see that LaFontaine and Perry were laughing in their victory. Danny felt a grin escape her lips, pride and excitement filling her heart.

“You should have told us you were Dragonborn,” LaFontaine laughed.

“How do you know she’s Dragonborn? What if she’s just… training with the Greybeards? That’s… kind of normal, right?”

“Stand back, guys,” Danny exclaimed, noticing the burning of the dead dragon’s hide. The four adventurers stepped back as the corpse engulfed into flame, sending a spiraling wind of energy to flow through the Dragonborn. She closed her eyes, feeling the sudden burst of energy, and then a calming stillness. She opened her eyes to the bare skeleton of the dragon and a look of terror from Perry.

“My samples…” LaFontaine muttered sadly.

“Hey,” Danny whipped around to see Carmilla speaking to her, “Um, nice job, sasquatch. Guess I’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

“Not a problem, fangface,” Danny countered, “We’ve been getting better at this dragon hunting business, I think. Took us a lot less time to take this one down.”

“Hey, not to freak anyone out or anything, but where didn’t we have a guy with us?” LaFontaine suddenly spoke up, “Really tall, kind of turned into a… you know… bear?”

“Kirsch,” Danny breathed. She immediately let her werewolf senses wake up, smelling his scent from behind the corpse of the dragon. She ran around the skeleton to see the Nord lying on his side, a bloody gouge in his upper shoulder. His Stormcloak armor was stained red from the nasty wound in his shoulder, and Danny felt bile rise to her throat at the sight. She could still here his heart beating, but his breathing was short and raspy.

“Laura, over here!” Danny yelled, crouching down in front of Kirsch. Laura was at her side immediately, tending to the wound with a strong healing spell. Kirsch began to scream in agony, twisting his body and gritting his teeth in pain.

“It looks like the dragon bit his shoulder,” Perry exclaimed, kneeling down next to Laura, “I’ve learned a few things from the Restoration School at the College, let me help.”

Laura nodded, moving her hands so that Perry could place a healing spell on the wound as well. The golden light sputtered as Kirsch screamed in pain, his body curling up into a tight ball. Danny put a hand over his arm, caressing it softly as he endured the pain. LaFontaine and Carmilla stood over the healers, a look of horror on the mage’s face.

Finally, Laura let go of her spell, nearly collapsing in exhaustion. Carmilla was quick to catch her, and helped Laura up into a sitting position. Perry let go as well, LaFontaine helping her to her feet.

“Danny, I-I’m sorry,” Laura began to speak, “This is way beyond what I can do. I think I stopped the bleeding, but it’s not enough.”

“We can take him to Windhelm,” Perry suggested, her breathing fast from her attempt to heal Kirsch, “There’s a temple of Talos there. The priestesses will know what to do.”

“Alright, we need to go fast,” Danny agreed. Carmilla willed a spell into her hand that gave off an orange light, and Kirsch began to levitate off of the ground. He growled in pain, and Carmilla carefully began to walk down the pathway, keeping Kirsch hovering in front of her. The rest of the party followed her, all eyes on Kirsch.

“Telekinesis spell. Nice,” LaFontaine commented, but Carmilla ignored them.

After a few minutes the party had reached the stables at the bottom of the trail, where Danny quickly mounted her horse. Carmilla slowly lowered Kirsch’s body onto Danny’s horse so that Kirsch could lean against Danny for support. The vampire let out a breath of relief once Kirsch had been put on the horse safely, and promptly mounted Shadowmere.

“Cool horse,” LaFontaine complimented Carmilla, while Perry looked at the creature in horror.

“You two take Kirsch’s horse. We need to get to Windhelm,” Laura replied as she mounted her horse. 

Danny looked down to see Kirsch’s blood staining her steed’s white fur. She shook her head, lightly tapping the horse with her foot to send it galloping through the snowy trail.


	17. The Grave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Oblivion** by Bastille

The large group of adventurers walked solemnly across the long stone bridge that connected the little village of Kynesgrove to the ancient Nordic city of Windhelm, their hoods covering their faces to protect themselves from the wind and snow. Its snow covered stone walls stood tall and menacing, as if daring the soldiers of the Empire to strike it down. The massive iron doors opened with a groan to welcome the party inside. Carmilla held the floating body of Kirsch in her telekinetic grip, his Stormcloak armor stained red. The party was soon overwhelmed with Stormcloak soldiers, four of them carrying a cot covered in pelts. Carmilla took that as her cue to lower Kirsch into the cot, letting go of her telekinesis spell once he was carefully laid out into the cot.

“We’ll take him to the temple of Talos right away,” one of the Stormcloaks explained to the group, “Zeta-Shield’s a damn good man, we can’t lose him.”

“Thank you,” Danny replied. Kirsch let out a grunt of pain as a group of soldiers carefully picked up the cot, and his body twisted in pain.

“Jarl Ulfric wishes to speak with you,” the soldier spoke up, “I’d advise that head up to the Palace of the Kings as soon as possible.”

“Whoa, what?” LaFontaine spoke up, “When did the leader of the rebellion need us?”

“Kirsch and I were at Helgen when the dragon attacked,” Danny explained. Perry’s eyes grew wide as Danny continued, “And… he knows my father well.”

“Your father?” Laura asked as they watched the Stormcloak soldiers carry Kirsch away on the cot.

“Yeah, he’s a general in the Stormcloak army,” Danny mumbled, “I used to visit Windhelm when I was little to see him when he wasn’t off fighting in the war. I’ve known Ulfric my whole life.”

As soon as they walked past the inn that sat in front of the city gates, the Palace of the Kings loomed over them like a great mountain. Blue flags of the bear hung in every corner, the symbol of the Stormcloak rebellion. Ancient plaques lined the walls of the palace entrance, the writing upon it no longer readable due to the centuries of ice and snow that had worn the writing away. Danny’s body began to feel cold as she approached the iron gates of the palace. She now realized how much she had grown since she had last set foot in the ancient city, and was suddenly aware of how tall she was as an adult Nord. The city had seemed so much bigger to her back when she had struggled to reach the grasp of her mother’s hand.

“Nervous?” Laura looked up at the tall Nord.

“Yeah, a little,” Danny smiled, “It felt like another lifetime since I was last here. Everything’s changed.”

“Hey, maybe you’ll see your dad!” Laura exclaimed, a smile forming on her lips.

“Yeah. Maybe,” Danny responded, the grin leaving her face. There was a long pause before she spoke up again, “I wonder if Zeta will be okay.”

“No need to worry about that,” Perry said in a caring tone, “The priestesses at the temple of Talos are the best healers in the rebellion!”

“He’s with his fellow soldiers now,” LaFontaine assured, “They’ll take care of him.”

Once they reached the great doors of the Jarl’s palace, Danny closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to calm her mind. It was then that she realized that a strong fear stirred in her heart, yet she did not know why. The group stopped, Danny standing in front of the doors as the rest of the party stood behind her. She let out a deep breath before pushing the doors open, flooding the palace with light. The long stone hall of the ancient palace was lined with blue Stormcloak banners, and a single banquet table lay in front of the party. A few nobleman sat at the table, fine meats and cheeses laid out for them. A mighty stone throne sat in the back of the hall that Ulfric Stormcloak sat upon, speaking urgently to one of his advisors. The proud Nord looked up at the sound of the iron door shutting behind the party, and a wide grin spread across his lips.

“Lawrence’s little girl, the Dragonborn? Who would have thought?” he spoke in astonishment, his advisor leaving his side, “You were but a child when you last wandered these halls.”

“It’s been too long,” Danny walked up to the great throne with a grin, “I’m glad to see we both made it out of Helgen in one piece.” 

Ulfric laughed, “And I hear Zeta-Shield is with you, eh? I’ll make a point to promote him to Bone-Breaker once he recovers from that nasty dragon bite. I was to give him orders to meet the men at a siege, but I see know that his destiny is surely bound by the dragons as much as you and your friends. At least he’ll be showing some Stormcloak pride whenever a dragon needs killing, eh?”

“He’ll be excited to hear that, I’m sure,” Danny laughed. Ulfric looked upon the Nord girl with soft eyes. There was a long pause in the conversation before the Jarl of Windhelm began to speak again.

“Your father would have been proud of you,” he spoke sadly, his eyelids creasing. Danny felt her heart drop into her chest, the unknown fear that stirred in the back of her mind now hitting her with full force.

“What do you mean?” she asked, knowing what was to come next.

“You hadn’t heard?” Ulfric asked, surprise in his voice, “He was assassinated by the Thalmor four years ago, for openly worshipping Talos.”

Her world collapsed in front of her, as she felt as if her entire body wanted to give out as her instinctive fear engulfed her and left her numb. All eyes were on her, and Danny could feet the gentle hand of Laura touching her arm for support. The room was silent, and even Danny’s mind seem to slow down like her Voice had in the fight at Kynesgrove. No tears fell from her eyes, no sobbing escaped her lips. She only felt the hole spreading in her heart, as if her soul had escaped and she was nothing but a shell. She fought to get words out, but her tongue would not speak. She took deep breaths, and after several moments she felt foreign words begin to slip off of her tongue.

“I know,” she finally spoke, her voice weak, “I knew he was gone. I shouldn’t have held on to that hope.”

Ulfric nodded, “I’m sorry. I still grieve for him, you know. Those damn elves have no sense of honor,” he paused for a moment, his eyes distant, “I’m sorry it had to be this way. You all deserve a good rest while Zeta-Shield recovers. I’ll make sure you’re rooms are paid for in Candlehearth Hall for the night, and we shall discuss matters tomorrow. His grave is outside by the Hall of the Dead if you wish to see him.”

“Thank you,” Danny’s voice cracked, “Thank you for telling me.”

______________________________________________________________________________

 

The air was filled with the sounds of a gentle flute and the hearty chatter of guests as the party filed into the second story of the Candlehearth Hall. Danny noted the single burning candle sitting upon the hearth, a fire blazing below it and sending the dancing shadows of the guests against the walls. The Nordic girl observed the guests, all of them happily drinking or dancing to the flute that the Bard played. It felt as if time itself had stopped, as if she wasn’t truly there. Danny wanted to think it was a dream, as it certainly felt like one, but she knew in her heart that she was very much awake. She looked up to see a long wooden table at the end of the tavern, and a proud Nordic boy sat at the end of it. He wore the robes of a priest, but his shoulder was wrapped in thick bandages and his arm was held in a sling. He gave the group a cheesy smile and a wave with his good arm.

“Kirsch, what are you doing here?” Laura exclaimed.

“Ah, you know, the healing’s going well, so I thought I’d come by,” the Nord beamed, “I heard you talked to the High King.”

“Well, first of all, he’s not the High King just yet,” LaFontaine corrected him, “And he said you’ve been promoted.”

“Bro, no,” Kirsch said, astonished.

“Yes,” Laura assured. Kirsch’s grin grew wider, as if it wasn’t already as wide as it could have been. The group quickly took their seats along the big table, Danny silently sitting between Kirsch and Laura. Carmilla took her seat on the other side of Laura, directly across from Kirsch, and her brows furrowed in deep thought. LaFontaine sat directly across from Danny and Perry beside them, their eyebrows creased with worry whenever they looked at the Dragonborn. Danny listened to the conversation quietly, her shoulders slouched. She felt the sudden desire to get up and leave, to run into the white wilderness outside of Windhelm and never contact civilization again.

“You’ve also been assigned to travel with us,” Perry pointed out to Kirsch, “He says you’ll be the Stormcloak representative while we hunt down these dragons.”

“Nice! You hear that, D-Bear?” he laughed, his posture growing taller in delight. He sudden gritted his teeth, letting out a grunt of pain as he slouched back down again.

“Are you sure the priestesses let you out this early?” LaFontaine asked, a sarcastic tone in their voice.

“No. Maybe not. But it’s boring as hell in there,” Kirsch complained. Danny felt a small smile escape her lips.

“Well, now that you’re here, we may as well talk business,” Carmilla finally spoke up. The group looked over at the vampire, who sat comfortably at the end of the table. All eyes were on her as she began to speak.

“I’m the last surviving member of the Blades. It’s an ancient guild of dragonslayers who were sworn to serve the Dragonborn. We used to be known all across Tamriel as the protectors of the Septim Emperors. I worked with them until the Oblivion Crisis, when the last Dragonborn emperor died about two hundred years ago. Since then the Blades have been searching for a purpose. We decided the Thalmor were a threat to the Empire, so we focused on wiping them out… but that obviously didn’t go well,” Carmilla paused, her hungry vampiric gaze shifting from the group to the table in reflection of her past, “The Blades were wiped out by the Thalmor, and I went into hiding. Now that the dragons have come back, and now that we’ve found the Dragonborn, our purpose is clear.”

“Are we going to become the new Blades?” LaFontaine asked.

“I don’t know yet. We need to figure out who’s behind all of this, and all we have for clues is that black dragon from Helgen,” Carmilla’s voice grew irritated, “Damn it, we’re blundering around in the dark here! We need to figure out who’s behind it all if we’re going to kill these things!”

“Well, do we have any ideas?” Laura asked the group, her gaze shifting to every person in the party. There was a long pause before Carmilla spoke up.

“I hate to say it, but the Thalmor are our best lead. If they aren’t involved, they’ll know who it is.”

The Thalmor. Emotion slowly began to crawl back into Danny’s chest, and her senses began to focus despite her shock from the news she had only received hours before. A silent rage brought warmth into her cold, grieving heart at the sound of that name. Of course the Thalmor killed her father. The Aldmeri Dominion only brought destruction and hatred, and Danny Lawrence never wanted to see them again.  
“She’s got a point,” LaFontaine spoke up, “I mean, think about it. The Empire had captured Ulfric in Helgen. The war was basically over. Then a dragon attacks, Ulfric escapes, and the war’s back on. And now the dragons are attacking everywhere, which weakens Skyrim and the Empire. I mean, who else would benefit?” LaFontaine paused for a moment, analyzing the silent group, “Thalmor, Thalmor, Thalmor, yeah?”  
Emotion now poured into her body, and she could feel the tears finally free themselves as they fell down her face. She stayed silent in fear that her friends would notice her, but she couldn’t get the image of her father out of her mind. The image of Thalmor justiciars ruthlessly killing the races of men wherever they walked…

“If we could get into the Thalmor embassy by Solitude…” Carmilla began to wonder. She shook her head, “That place is locked up tighter than a miser’s purse.”

“No,” Danny suddenly spoke up, her eyes staring at the wooden table. Conversation stopped abruptly, and she could feel the eyes of the party staring at her, as if looking in her mind and searching for weaknesses. She wanted to bury her head into the table, as if the people sitting around her would disappear if she could not see them.

“No?” Carmilla challenged.

“We’re not going there,” Danny stammered, “There’s another way. There has to be.” She looked up at the group, feeling the tides of sadness and anger crashing against her. She struggled to focus as she spoke to the group, “No, I’m not going there. They’ll just kill us. Nobody else needs to die.”

“What’s going on, D-Bear?” Kirsch spoke up.

“Don’t call me that, werebear,” Danny spat. Kirsch jumped in surprise at Danny’s sudden aggressiveness, cringing in pain as his shoulder bumped the chair. She immediately felt another wave of guilt crash over her at the sight of Kirsch. She wanted to apologize, but she was too choked up to speak. 

“She found out her dad died,” LaFontaine explained to him, “Killed by the Thalmor.”

_Killed by the Thalmor._ Those words echoed ominously in Danny’s mind. She silently wished that the shock had stayed with her longer, as she felt as if she was about to burst with a thousand emotions.

“Just because your father died doesn’t mean they’re going to kill the rest of us,” Carmilla rolled her eyes, “That’s the grief talking, cutie. I know what it’s like to have your friends wiped out by the Thalmor, I know what steps to take to make sure that doesn’t happen to us.” The group’s attention immediately drew to Carmilla, all of them shocked by her harsh words.

Carmilla’s harsh words made something snap in Danny’s mind, and she suddenly found herself on her feet with her hands clenched into fists so tight that her knuckles were white. Tears streamed down her face like a waterfall, and her wet eyes were focused on the vampire sitting casually in her seat.

“And you think I don’t know? You think I don’t know what the Thalmor are capable of doing? You think I don’t know what it’s like to see the people I love ripped apart in front of your goddamned eyes?” Words tumbled out of Danny’s mouth along with the tides of her emotions, unleashed by Carmilla’s statements, “I know what it’s like, dead girl. To have the family farm burned down while your father’s away at war, to have your mother slaughtered for worshipping a god, to be taken away to rot in a cell and… and…”

The words died on her lips, and she looked around frantically at the group. Danny now realized that the inn was dead silent, as the guests began to file down into the first story in discomfort. She could read shock on the party’s faces, and Carmilla raised her eyebrow in interest. She gasped for breath and felt sobs escaping her lips, her vison blurring from the tears that ran down her face.

“They tried to brainwash you, didn’t they?” Carmilla implored, “That happened to some of the Blades. Turned them against us.” She paused for a moment, looking up at the distraught Nordic girl before she asked, “Ever wonder why they couldn’t do it to you? I think you can figure it out now, Dragonborn.” Silence ensued the conversation, as all eyes were on Danny as she struggled to find the strength to speak again.  
“Ever heard of the Summer Society?” Danny choked out. Carmilla nodded.

“A group of monster hunters from Cyrodiil, kind of like the Dawnguard,” Danny heard LaFontaine whisper to Kirsch, who looked incredibly confused, “They changed their motive to wiping out the Thalmor, same as the Blades.”

“They freed me seven years ago, but by then I had lycanthropy. I made close friends there. Like you,” Danny sobbed as she addressed the whole group, her face pink and her cheeks wet, “I had to hide my lycanthropy from them, but I thought I was safe. I…I thought it was all over.” Danny slammed her fist onto the table, boiling rage clear in her trembling voice, “But they ripped us apart. Burned down our headquarters like they burned down the farm. They think I’m dead. I ran away to Skyrim. I thought my dad would be here… but…” She stopped, feeling grief crash over her again and making her balance waver.  
“Don’t tell me I don’t know. I’m not having any of you die because of their hatred. I won’t let that happen again,” she stammered. She desperately looked around, her mind trying to gain control of the situation, but it was no use. This was too much for the Dragonborn to handle. Suddenly she felt her legs moving her across the inn, breaking into a run when she reached the stairs to the first floor of the inn. She heard the sound of a chair sliding back and Laura calling out her name, but she kept going. Once she had run past the confused and watchful faces of the first floor, she flung the doors open and leaned against the side of the building. She leaned her head against the back of the building, letting the uncontrollable sobbing take its course. Her vision was blurred, but she could still see the soft greens and blues of the Northern Lights as they danced across the sky, snow lightly falling around her in the freezing Skyrim night.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

LaFontaine eventually found the Dragonborn a few hours later in the graveyard as the moon shined a pale light above them. Danny kneeled down in front of a small, gray coffin that was covered in fresh fallen snow. She had taken her amulet of Talos off of her neck, and had placed it upon the grave. LaFontaine slowly approached the Nord, dropping down to a kneeling position beside her. Danny did not speak for several minutes, her eyes bloodshot and staring blankly down at the amulet. LaFontaine was the first to speak.

“Laura and Perry gave Carmilla quite the lecture,” the mage cracked a small smile, “I think she feel’s bad, but she’ll never admit it.”

A small smile escaped Danny’s lips, making LaFontaine grin.

“I… I’m sorry you had to hear all of that,” Danny finally murmured, her voice weak.

“Trust me, it’s okay,” LaFontaine assured, “Stuff like that’s bound to come out after a while. It’s too painful to keep it in.” They both stayed silent for several more minutes. LaFontaine began to look through their pockets, digging up an old amulet of Julianos. They carefully placed it on the shrine, interlinked with the amulet of Talos. Danny whispered her thanks, hugging herself with her cloak.

“You want to talk?” LaFontaine asked tentatively, their hands holding their thighs. Danny’s eyes finally shifted from the grave.

“No. I can’t,” Danny whispered.

“That’s okay,” LaFontaine assured, pausing for a moment before asking, “You don’t mind me being here?”

“No. It helps,” Danny murmured, pausing before asking the mage a question, “Could you talk about something, maybe?”

“Yeah, no problem,” LaFontaine smiled, “Alright, well, I bet you’d never guessed I actually grew up here. That’s why me and Perr were in Kynesgrove. We come to visit mom and dad every year from Winterhold,” LaFontaine paused for a moment, realizing what they had just said. “Oh, sorry,” they cringed.

“No, it’s okay.”

“Well, I grew up in the Nordic section down that pathway. See, I found Perr when I was playing out in the streets when I was little. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but she’s a half elf. Half Bosmer, half Nord, and she was an orphan in the Grey Quarter, where all the Dark Elves live. My guess was that she was abandoned by the Bosmer since the elves usually don’t want to ‘foul up the bloodline’ but… my family took her in. We grew up together here,” LaFontaine stole a quick glance at the grieving Nord, who was listening quietly. LaFontaine continued with their story, “Anyways, I was always fascinated with magic. I got to know the court wizard pretty well, and when Perr and me were old enough we left for Winterhold. Perr’s a bard, see? She got a job at the Candlehearth Hall in Winterhold and I’ve been studying at the College.” LaFontaine finished their story, looking up at Danny as if watching her reaction, “I mean, I guess it was awkward for everyone when I changed my pronouns, but my life’s not super interesting.”

“You have a different gender?” Danny suddenly implored, LaFontaine’s comment catching her off guard, “I thought only the elves did that. I’ve never met a human like that before.”

LaFontaine laughed, “Well, here I am.”

The crunching of snow behind the grave made both mourners turn their heads. Kirsch walked up to the grave, his arm still in a sling and bandaged. He kneeled down next to Danny as well, his good shoulder brushing against hers. Danny looked behind her to see the rest of the group leaning against the wall of the Hall of the Dead behind them, Carmilla’s face expressionless. Danny looked over at Kirsch and realized that he had a sword tied to his robe, as he slowly unsheathed it. He dug the sword into the earth in front of the grave with his good arm, and placed a Stormcloak helm on top of the hilt, the carved image of the Windhelm bear upon it. He bowed his head, closing his eyes as he held the amulet of Talos around his neck in his fist. 

“Talos guide you, brother,” Danny heard him whisper.

The other three adventurers approached the coffin solemnly. Danny watched as Laura placed a candle upon the grave, lighting it with a flame spell. Perry followed her, placing a bundle of mountain flowers next to the intertwined amulets. Carmilla carefully approached the grave, awkwardly setting a bundle of nightshade flowers atop the grave before standing beside Laura. The dragon hunters stood by the grave for several minutes, many of them with their heads bowed. 

Danny felt a tear slide down her cheek, warmth coming to her body as her friends stood beside her to mourn. She closed her eyes as she felt a soft hand on her shoulder, holding her comfortingly.


	18. Pursuit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Global Concepts** by Robert DeLong _**(LaFontaine's Theme)**_

The steady clopping of the horses’ hooves hitting the ground was the only sound to be heard amongst the party as Windhelm fell farther and farther back from the trail. Not a word had been spoken since they had left the little inn, and although she could feel the uncomfortable tension amongst her friends as they traveled alongside her, she was thankful for the silence. LaFontaine carefully steadied an old map in front of their saddle as they rode along, analyzing it carefully. Danny could see that Carmilla had her eyes on the road, Laura’s horse trotting beside her. Danny quickly looked away, the glinting red eyes of Shadowmere still sending chills down her spine. The Dragonborn diverted her attention to the volcanic tundra that lay to her right, seeing the occasional hot spring and juniper berry bush dotting the trail. She spotted a deer standing by a hot spring, which froze at the sight of the party’s horses before quickly prancing through the undergrowth and out of sight.

Danny observed the scenery around her in an attempt to ignore the worries clouding her mind, but it was no use. The party had no plan of action due to her breakdown from the night before, and she had an unsettling feeling in her chest that they had no specific destination. She knew the Thalmor was their only lead. She knew she was the only thing stopping the party from changing their direction to the Embassy, which only made her growing anxiety worse.

“I think there’s a shortcut if we go this way,” LaFontaine’s voice made Danny jump. All gazes shifted to the mage, who held the map in their hands.

“I don’t know…” Carmilla began to protest.

“No, look, if we just cut through over there, we’d end up at Darkwater Crossing in half the time,” LaFontaine explained, pointing at a beaten dirt trail beside Kirsch’s horse, “And a little change of scenery wouldn’t hurt, right?”

“We don’t even have anywhere to go!” Perry pointed out, making the party turn silent once again. She looked around at the group, her eyes wide and tense. “Well… somebody had to say it,” she muttered.

“I think we should take the shortcut,” Laura piped up, guiding her horse with the reins to have it face the direction of the dirt path.

“I’m with the little nerd on this one,” Kirsch responded quickly. Laura made a quick objection, forcing a smile on Danny’s lips. Laura was quick to notice, a huge grin spreading on her face at Danny’s show of emotion. The unease and worry seemed to subside as Kirsch smiled at her as well, and she finally spoke.

“A shortcut could be fun.”

LaFontaine did a fist pump of victory before steering their horse down the path, followed by Laura and Kirsch. Danny guided her horse off of the wide cobblestone trail and into the skinny dirt path, soft grass brushing at her boots. She looked behind her to see Perry and Carmilla trailing behind her, the vampire carefully observing her surroundings. Several minutes of silence passed again, causing the worry and anxiety to come flooding back into Danny’s mind. The trail soon grew narrow to the point where only one horse could fit, so the group was soon following each other in a direct line with LaFontaine in the lead. Kirsch’s horse walked in front of Danny, as she could see his gleaming greatsword strapped to his back. She stroked her horses white fur as they continued on, finding comfort in the touch of the animal’s hide.

“Hang on,” Carmilla called out, the adventurers bringing all of their horses to a halt. Danny could see that the vampire was on edge, her head angled slightly as if she was picking up a sound. Danny allowed her werewolf senses to aid her, listening carefully to her surroundings. Sure enough, there was a clear rustling in the undergrowth coming from their right, as if there were multiple footsteps.

“I can hear it,” Danny muttered to the rest of the group. Kirsch gave her a quick nod in agreement. Laura jumped off of her horse quickly, unsheathing her sword. The rest of the party followed her, a blood red spell prepared in Carmilla’s hand and a fiery golden sword held tightly in her right. Danny noticed LaFontaine raising their hand after they had dismounted from their gray speckled horse, a misty blue spell prepared in it. Their face was hard and focused, and Danny guessed that the mage was channeling a good amount of magical energy. Suddenly, the spell grew brighter in the mage’s hand, turning the underbrush several yards away from them a bright shade of red as it detected their pursuers. 

“Not cool, man,” Kirsch muttered, “That’s way too many.”

The misty red shapes began to advance at the sound of his voice, still unseen by the naked eye.

“RUN!” the mage let go of the spell as they bolted down the trail, leaving the pursuers undetected once again. The group had no choice but to follow the mage as they turned off of the trail. Perry shot a spell or two in the direction of where the pursuers had been lit up by LaFontaine’s detection spell before catching up to the mage, followed closely behind the rest of the group. Danny was the last to dismount her horse and follow the group, and she could hear the quickening footsteps of her pursuers behind her.

“Wuld,” she whispered, her voice propelling her up to the front of the group beside LaFontaine and Perry. The two were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the Dragonborn, as their attention was momentarily focused on Danny.

“What-” LaFontaine began to speak before losing their footing and plummeting to the ground. Perry began to yell something before she fell as well, and Danny looked down to see that LaFontaine had been directing them towards a deep ditch. It was too late for Danny to stop herself, as she was running full speed and was already at the ditch’s edge. She was the third to fall, letting out grunts of pain as she tumbled down through the dirt until she was stopped by Perry’s body. Before Danny could even spring to her feet, she felt the impact of both Laura and Carmilla behind her, as they both grumbled in pain. She made a second attempt to push herself up into a sitting position with her arms, but the sudden impact of Kirsch’s larger body hitting Carmilla and Laura in front of her pushed the whole party back down like dominoes. Finally, Danny was able to force herself up in a sitting position, cursing under her breath. LaFontaine sat cross-legged in front of the Dragonborn, looking up at the ditch in confusion. By the look on Perry’s face, Danny guessed that LaFontaine was to be harshly scolded after they took care of their pursuers.

“That… did not go as expected,” was all LaFontaine managed to say, still studying the ditch as if they couldn’t believe it was there. Carmilla groaned in irritation.

“Where in Oblivion did you take us?” Perry stammered, looking around wildly. Danny surveyed the area beyond the ditch to see a massive bonfire several feet behind the half-elf, with skeevers skewered to sticks and roasting in the flames. There were several large pouches sitting in the vicinity of the bonfire and some kind of gooey cheese seemed to be collected within them. Realization hit the Dragonborn as a dull thump shook the ground around them.

“Gods, you led us in a giant camp,” Danny spoke. Another dull thump made the ground beneath them rumble, and a shadow cast over the ditch. The group looked up to see a huge creature with wrinkled gray skin, scarring across its bare chest and arms in the form of patterns and dots. Its face was ragged and its beard unkempt, as it wore only a loincloth of fur and decorative bones. It regarded the adventurers quizzically, as if unsure what to do with them.

“Don’t make a move,” Danny whispered, watching the giant carefully. It reached out a long arm across the ditch, and Danny could see a massive club of bone leaning against a boulder. The giant took the club, throwing it over his shoulder as he continued to regard the silent group that had invaded his camp. The Dragonborn held her breath, her heart beating rapidly in her chest out of fear of the massive club crashing down upon them.

“Hey! Over here, jerk-face!”

The giant turned around in surprise to see Laura standing behind him, a few rocks in one hand and a sword in the other. She threw one directly at the giant, hitting it on the right shoulder. The giant roared angrily, charging towards Laura and away from the rest of the group, raising the club into the air in preparation to strike. 

_Oh Gods no_ , Danny thought, just as shocked as the rest of the party.

Time seemed to slow down as Laura dove underneath the giant’s legs and appeared on the other side, facing the giant’s back as the club came crashing down onto the spot where the Breton had been standing. The giant began to turn around in confusion of where Laura had gone, as Laura carefully stepped with the giant’s movements so that she would face his back. The giant blundered around for several seconds as Laura effectively timed his movements, until suddenly he completely turned around to face her, club raised yet again.

“LAURA!” Carmilla suddenly yelled, and Danny could see the pale body of the vampire fling herself into the battle with her supernatural speed. She zoomed across the deadly line of the clubs range, pushing Laura past the giant as they both tumbled onto the ground several feet away. The club hit the ground yet again, leaving a dent in the grass.

Danny realized that was the first time the vampire had called Laura by her true name.

“Save the heroics for later, creampuff,” Carmilla grumbled as they both got back to their feet. The giant turned toward their direction at the sound of Carmilla’s voice, a growl emitting from its throat. The vampire unsheathed the Blade of Hastur from its hilt, the blade gleaming a fiery gold.

“Get off your asses and help us!” Carmilla shouted at the rest of the party, running at the giant and leaving a clear cut on its leg. The giant howled in pain, bringing the tall creature to its knees. LaFontaine and Danny immediately jumped up at Carmilla’s command, shaking off their initial shock as they charged in. LaFontaine was quick to throw a few shock spells at the giant, aiming for the chest in order to stop its heart. Danny unsheathed her sword quickly, planting it straight into the giant’s arm. The giant let out another roar of pain, letting go of the club in his injured hand. Another bolt of lightning emitted from LaFontaine, sending the giant falling to the ground.

“Psycho…” Kirsch warned once he and Perry had jumped into the fight. Danny looked up to see a second giant coming towards them with a club, shaking the ground with every step. Two mammoths followed it, its heads moving back and forth to utilize their deadly trunks.

“FUS RO DAH!” Danny propelled her voice at the giant, sending him flying back several feet. The mammoths staggered slightly, only to regain their balance and continue their charge at the party.

Suddenly, Danny heard a crash in the undergrowth, and a dozen Orcs came charging at the mammoths, weapons raised. The Orc leading them let out an intimidating battle cry before swinging his warhammer into the giant felled by Danny’s voice, crushing its skull. The party watched in amazement as the Orcs advanced on the mammoths, effectively killing them with crushing blows to the head. Once the mammoths were dead, the majority of the Orcs went to work at skinning the great creatures, cutting them open to get to the meat underneath.

Shocked by the sudden arrival of the Orcs, Danny suddenly noticed the Orc that had lead them into battle was approaching the party. Kirsch stepped forward eagerly, and the rest of the party gave each other equal looks of bewilderment as the Orc put him in a friendly headlock, messing with Kirsch’s shaved head like one would do with a young boy.

“Wilson! Good to see you’re still in one piece, kid!” The Orc laughed, letting go of the Nord.

“Good to see ya, chief,” Kirsch replied, a goofy grin on his face, “And don’t call me that, bro.”

“We just saved your ass, I can call you what I want,” the Orc joked, looking about the rest of Danny’s party, “I thought you went up to join those Stormcloaks.”

“I did,” Kirsch smiled, “but I’m working with the Dragonborn now.”

“Dragonborn?” the Orc asked, astonished.

“Right here,” Danny piped up, irritated that Kirsch revealed her title. She stepped up to the orc, a grin on her lips, “Good to meet you.”

“Oh! Uh, Danny, this is Chief Mauhulakh of Narzulbur. Chief, Danny Lawrence of… uh, well, she’s the Dragonborn,” Danny could hear a tinge of sadness in his voice as he introduced her, and she felt her chest fill with anxiety once again.

The chief hit his fist against his armored chest, bowing his head at the Dragonborn. She could remember Kirsch greeting her in a similar fashion when they had met in the carriage at Helgen, so she was quick to copy the Orc’s movements. Kirsch gave Danny a big grin.

“The sun will set soon,” the chief remarked, looking at Kirsch, “What do you say you visit your old stronghold for the night, eh? Catch up on old times. The Dragonborn and your friends could spend the night as well.”

“Yeah, sounds great!” Kirsch accepted before the group could decide anything. Perry shot him an irritated glance, as the thought of spending the night in a fort filled with Orcs seemed to be uncomfortable to her.

“Hey, they won’t hurt you guys, I’d bet my life on it,” Kirsch reassured, “They’re my bros. The stronghold’s probably one of the safest places in the Reach.”

\-------------------------------------------

“Hey, I was talking to my bro!”

“We need to talk, Zeta,” Danny argued, pulling the Stormcloak by the arm to the table the party sat at. Kirsch held a full tankard of mead in his hand, grinning at the Orcs around him as the stronghold celebrated the Nord’s return. The sky was now pitch black, as the northern lights did not dance over them this time. The stronghold was flooded by the warm light of flaming torches that dotted the protective walls, as well as the two moons, Masser and Secunda, that observed them from the skies. Danny led the other Nord to a long wooden table, where the rest of the party sat and thoughtfully sipped on their mead. Kirsch took a seat beside Danny and Laura, with Carmilla, LaFontaine, and Perry sitting across from them.

“Alright,” Carmilla began, “We can’t just wander around Skyrim anymore. We need a plan.” Silence hung in the air for several moments until LaFontaine finally spoke up.

“We can start going around the dragon burial mounds,” the mage pointed out, “I heard there’s one close by. Maybe we’ll find something that way.”

“No,” Danny muttered, the party focusing on her, “No, we need to go to the embassy. That’s the only way we’ll get any information.” Silence fell upon the group again, LaFontaine looking down at their tankard of mead.

“Danny, we don’t have to do this,” Laura tried to comfort the tall Nord, “We know you’ve had bad experiences with them, and… well, it’s probably for the better that we don’t deal with them, you know?”

“Laura, it’s the only chance we have. Carmilla’s right, they’d be the only ones to know what was going on with the dragons.”

“Danny-”

“I need to do this, Laura,” Danny stated, confusion flooding the little Breton’s face, “They’ve been haunting me since I escaped. If I face them, maybe my mind will know that I’m stronger than them. I just… Let me do this, okay?”

Laura studied her for several moments, as if she couldn’t believe the Dragonborn’s words. Eventually, she gave her a nod of approval. Danny looked over at the vampire, whose elbow sat against the wooden table as her hand propped up her chin to observe the Dragonborn.

“We’re going to the Thalmor Embassy. That’s my decision,” Danny commanded, folding her arms onto the wooden table. Carmilla regarded her for a moment.

“About time you came around, sasquatch,” Carmilla sighed. She then looked around at the whole group, “Alright, so we need to infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy. First we need to pick someone to actually do the infiltrating. Can’t be me or the Dragonborn, the Thalmor know us already. And I wouldn’t suggest Ulfric’s fanboy over here either, since he has ties to the war.” Kirsch scoffed at Carmilla’s remark. The group looked around at each other, everyone considering the decision they needed to make. Danny decided the infiltrator needed to be small and quick, someone with the skills of an assassin or a thief. Carmilla could have done the job perfectly if she wasn’t on the Thalmor’s suspect list like herself. Danny hated the idea of contacting the Thieves’ Guild for the job, as they were untrustworthy as it was, but if it came down to it…

“I can do it,” Laura volunteered, throwing Danny off guard. Carmilla’s head whipped over to the girl sitting directly in front of her, eyebrows raised.

“You sure about that, cupcake?” Carmilla questioned. The vampire’s eyebrows were furrowed with worry.

“Laura would do pretty good,” LaFontaine pointed out, “I mean, I don’t know if you guys saw her take on that giant, but she was pretty good at sneaking around it. She could do it.” Laura nodded in agreement. 

“Well… okay. Just don’t let the Thalmor fool you, they’re not to be trifled with. Plus we don’t want the Thieves’ Guild catching wind of us,” Carmilla decided, her arms crossed and her back hunched over, “Anyways, I was doing some research on this before I got caught up in this mess. Ever heard of Elenwen?” The vampire looked over at Danny for an answer.

“Sadly, yeah. Thalmor Ambassador of Skyrim. I knew her a bit too well,” the Dragonborn mumbled, eyes cast to the ground.

“Well, she throws a lot of parties at the Embassy so the nobility around here can improve their relations with the Thalmor. Laura needs to get into the party and steal any of her secret files they might have on the return of the dragons. We need to get to Solitude so I can take care of getting her the fake invitation.”

 

“And how are you going to do that?” LaFontaine asked, their fingers tapping at their tankard of mead.

“I’m a vampire. How do you think I’m going to do it?” Carmilla asked sarcastically, “I’ve been keeping track. She’ll be holding a party at the end of the month, so there should be an invited guest wandering around Solitude. You can figure out the rest.” LaFontaine sat back in their seat in realization. Carmilla looked back at the rest of the group, continuing her conversation.

“Anyways, the rest of us can patrol the area while Laura steals the files, so we can make sure nothing goes wrong. We’ll need someone else to smuggle in some equipment for Laura so she can fight when she needs to,” Carmilla explained, looking over at the Breton across from her, “You’ll need to pass as a noble, so we’ll get you an outfit at Solitude and hire a carriage to send you on your way.”

“I’m pretty good with invisibility spells,” LaFontaine began to speak, “I can smuggle the equipment in.”

“No, I’m going to do it,” Perry spoke up, putting a calming hand on the mage’s shoulder. LaFontaine looked over at the bard in shock, their mouth opening to object Perry’s decision, but Perry was quick to stop them.

“You’ve got a lot riding on you with the College, and I can’t let you get expelled for infiltrating the Thalmor Embassy! Especially with that new Thalmor advisor walking around like he owns the place!” LaFontaine groaned at the mention of the advisor as Perry continued, “Look, you taught me a lot of spells. I’m good with Illusion and Alteration, you said so yourself! I’m smuggling in the equipment!”

“She’s got a point, LaF,” Laura assured. LaFontaine sighed, looking over at Perry with worry in their eyes.

“Careful, Perr,” LaFontaine mumbled, “I’ll hold on to your lute. I know you don’t want to lose that.”

“Thanks,” Perry smiled. Danny noticed that the bard’s hand was tense against the wooden table.

“Solitude it is, then,” Danny mumbled, looking out at the group, “We should all get some sleep. You too, Zeta. No more partying with Orcs.” Kirsch began to object, but Danny was quick to quiet him down.

“We’ve got a big journey ahead of us,” Danny told the party.


	19. Diplomatic Immunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Seven Devils** by Florence + The Machine

Laura carefully stepped down from the wooden carriage, shuddering as a blast of icy wind blew through the mountainside. Dimly lit lamps could be seen ahead of her, illuminating the stone steps to the Thalmor Embassy. The little Breton brought the fine noble cloak she wore around her shoulders to warm herself, as she was beginning to realize that the clothing of the nobility was designed for aesthetic and not warmth. The fur hide that wrapped around her shoulders helped some, but the royal cloth that draped around her body and tucked into a fine leather belt at her hips provided no protection from the wind and snow in the northern hold of Haafingar. Carmilla could have picked warmer clothing for her when they had prepared for this earlier.

As Laura began to walk towards the stone steps, she began to see a tall High Elf in his traditional elven armor waiting beside them. As she began to walk the steps, she was stopped by the soldier.

“Welcome to the Thalmor Embassy, ma’am. Your invitation, please.”

Fiddling nervously in her front pocket, she was able to pull out the forged letter that Carmilla had given her in Solitude hours before. She handed it to the Thalmor soldier, hoping that the shakiness in her hand didn’t rouse any suspicion. The elf looked over the note quickly before handing it back to her.

“Thank you, ma’am. Go right in,” he said in a neutral tone, and Laura was quick to head up the steps. The path took a sharp turn right to lead her to the front doors of the embassy. She looked into the brightly lit windows to see people of nobility merrily socializing and drinking, as it matched with the chatter that she could hear from the outside of the building. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Laura pushed open the door, sending howling wind into the room until she shut it quickly. Warmth and light soaked into senses once she was inside, and before she could even react to the scene laid out before her, she was approached by a young Elven woman in official Thalmor robes.

“Welcome!” the Elf smiled as she towered over the short Breton, “I don’t believe we’ve met. I am Elenwen, Thalmor Ambassador to Skyrim.”

Laura felt as if a boiling rock had sunk to the pit of her stomach. Despite the lavish party and the merriment surrounding her, she was harshly reminded that she was indeed surrounded by evil people. She remembered back to Danny’s episode in Windhelm, wondering what horrible acts this woman had committed…

“And you are?” Her thoughts were broken by Elenwen’s question.

Laura paused, momentarily baffled by the question. A million remarks ran through her mind, and she suddenly found herself trying not to stutter as she answered the Thalmor Ambassador’s question.

“Whoa, you’re Elenwen? I’ve heard so much about you,” the words came tumbling out of her mouth, surprising herself by how well she skirted around the question.

“Oh, have you?” Elenwen looked surprised as well, “All good, I trust. But you have me at a disadvantage, I’m afraid I know nothing about you. Please, tell me about yourself. What brings you to this… to Skyrim?”

“Madame Ambassador!” a voice called out at the Elf, preventing Laura from replying, “Sorry to interrupt.”

“What is it, Malborn?” the High Elf growled irritably, as the façade of hospitality immediately dissolved once her attention was taken away from Laura.

“It’s just that we’ve run out of the Alto wine, do I have permission to uncork…”

“Yes, of course. Do not bother me with such trifles!” she spoke sharply, looking back over at Laura with a smile, “My apologies, we’ll have to get better acquainted later. Please do enjoy yourself.” She then left Laura on her own, walking over to the Wood Elf called Malborn sitting at the counter. She bickered with him for a moment, and the Wood Elf soon left the counter to go out into the crowd and serve drinks. Laura could see a door behind the counter leading to the embassy.

That was her way out.

“Curious. I’ve never seen you here before,” Laura whipped around to see a beautiful Redguard woman observing her, “Oh, do excuse me. I’m Matska Belmonde. Pleased to meet you, darling.”

“Uh,” Laura was caught by surprise, and quickly decided to direct the conversation away from herself, “What’s your business with the Thalmor?”

“Ah, I represent the Volkihar Clan here in Skyrim. We must keep our ties with the Dominion, after all. Business is business.”

Laura observed the Redguard carefully, looking over at the dark red drink she held in her left hand. The Redguard changed her posture so that it was even straighter than Laura thought physically possible, and in doing so, the red liquid moved around in the glass. The liquid seemed to stick to the sides of the glass, instead of flow freely like an alcoholic beverage.

“And what is the Volkihar Clan?” Laura attempted to drag the conversation further.

“Well, only the most ancient Clan of vampires in this miserable block of ice you call a province. I’m surprised you’ve never heard of us?” Laura took a several steps back at Matska’s statement, her body poised as if the vampire was going to attack at any second, “Oh, relax. It would be ridiculous to kill you at a party such as this. No need to cause a commotion.”

“Why’s the Thalmor working with vampires?!” Laura asked, bewildered, “Isn’t that… I don’t know… kind of evil?”

Matska laughed, the blood in her glass swirling and leaving sticky red marks upon it. _Yep, that’s definitely blood,_ Laura decided.

“Silly child, why shouldn’t we work together?” the vampire laughed, “We’re both a group of ancient beings. We understand one another well. Anyways, I must speak with Elenwen about certain… well, it’s none of your business, really.” The vampire left the little Breton as she headed towards Elenwen’s direction behind her, leaving Laura bewildered in the middle of the crowd of nobles.

Right. Okay, that was weird. Back to the plan, Laura shook her head. She looked about the room to see the situation before her. There were at least ten nobles in the room, none of which she could recognize. Malborn had moved to the middle of the room to serve drinks, as well as another young Wood Elf girl. Nobody stood by the door she planned to escape through, thankfully, but she a distraction would be needed for her to slip out unnoticed. Everyone seemed to be conversing with the others and drinking, until Laura’s eyes fell onto a young Imperial girl sitting alone at a decorated wooden bench near the end of the room. The girl drummed her fingers against her thigh in idle boredom, her short blonde hair falling to her shoulders. Laura was quick to sit down next to the girl and begin conversation to blend in with the crowd.

“Hi, I’m Laura,” she began, seeing the Imperial looking up at her, “I’m a bit nervous. This is my first time coming here.”

The other girl laughed, “Gods, you’re the lucky one. I’ve done this so many times, I’m sick of this place,” she paused for a moment, regarding the little Breton, “Name’s Elsie, by the way.”

“Really?” Laura asked, “Why?”

“Well, my father’s over there,” Elsie pointed out a scrawny bald noble who spoke with a Thalmor justiciar, “He helps the High Queen govern day-to-day operations in Solitude. We go to these types of parties all the time. It’s just eating and drinking and shallow, meaningless conversations and… by the Eight, it’s irritating.”

“Ever considered becoming a mercenary?” Laura asked, “That’s what I did. Maybe a little taste of danger would be good for you.”

Elsie laughed, “Gods, I wish. My father wouldn’t allow it.”

“You never know. It took a lot of convincing to get my dad to let me do it. He’s so overprotective,” Laura laughed, feeling a sudden tinge of sadness at the notion of her father. He was probably still at his old forge, wondering where she was. She forced the thoughts out of her mind quickly, smirking at Elsie, “Maybe you want a little taste of danger?”

Elsie’s eyebrows perked up at Laura’s remark. The little Breton smiled; the girl would be perfect for her distraction.

“Look, I need to slip out of here. I can’t say why. You think you could you cause a distraction for me? Just get everyone’s attention for a few minutes, you know?”

“Is that all?” Elsie smirked, “Well, you’ve come to the right person. You could say causing a scene is a specialty of mine.” The young girl stood up from the bench and started towards the crowd. Laura did the same, and began to head towards the door while watching Elsie. The Imperial girl turned around to make eye contact with the Breton, smiling kindly upon her.

“Thanks for the help, Laura. Good luck.”

“You too. Thanks so much,” Laura replied. Elsie gave a little nod before turning her back on Laura, as she began to yell out at the crowd of nobles.

“Attention, everyone! Can I please have your attention!” the nobles looked over at her, bewildered.

That was her cue. Laura darted through the little red door and into a small hallway, closing the door carefully behind her as to not make a sound. The hallway ended in a second red door, which she slipped through carefully. A blazing fire lit the room from the hearth across from her, where she could see various herbs and meats hung from the walls of what seemed to be a kitchen. A woman in a peasant dress carefully chopped up lettuce at the counter, her curly hair swaying as her head looked up at Laura’s presence.

“I thought you were a bard, Perry,” Laura joked.

“There’s no time for messing around!” Perry scolded, “You’re armor is in a chest at the end of the hall. Let me go get changed.”

Laura headed over to where Perry had directed her, finding a wedged corner to change into her armor quickly. Once her armor was equipped and her bow and arrows slung around her back, she quickly tied her daggers and her sword around her waist. She came out of her hidden corner to see Perry dressed in her armor, a sword sheathed at her side and a lute strung across her back.

“Uh,” Laura stammered, “Why’d you bring the lute?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Perry stuttered, bringing her hand across her stomach to hold her opposite tense shoulder, “Maybe the Thalmor want to hear my music?” Laura regarded her for a moment before shaking her head to clear the confusion in her mind, beckoning the Half-Elf to follow her through the next red door and into the main hallway of the Embassy. The two infiltrators crouched down into a sneaking position as they could hear two High Elves speaking to one another in the room to their left.

“Ready?” Laura asked, and Perry nodded swiftly. She raised her hands as her eyes became focused upon it, and Laura could see a ball of cosmic energy forming. Soon, the sphere obtained a sudden brightness once it had grown to its full size, and Perry released it with the movement of her hands. One second, Perry was there, and she was gone the next. Laura looked down to see her hands, but she could only see the luxurious carpet that they walked upon. 

“That went better than I expected,” Laura heard Perry’s voice.

“Alright, let’s go,” Laura decided. She headed through the room that she heard the High Elves speak through, seeing them leaning against a bar in conversation, oblivious to Laura and Perry. 

“No. They’re high mages, just in from Alinor. I guess Herself is finally getting worried about all of these dragon attacks,” Laura heard a High Elf say as she carefully sneaked by.

“Ah, good. I was wondering how we were supposed to defend this place from a dragon.” By the time the other High Elf had finished his sentence, Laura had left the room unnoticed. She headed up a long flight of stairs to the next floor, careful to tread lightly. The glass windows allowed few rays of sunlight into the halls, casting an eerie glow on the dark walls. Luckily, there were no more Thalmor guarding the second floor, as it only lead to a small bedroom and an exit outside. Laura quickly headed towards the exit, pushing open the door slowly and carefully so that it would not alert the High Elves downstairs. She left the door open so that Perry could get through, guessing that the bard would close the door behind her. The harsh cold winds hit Laura once again, but this time she was protected by the fur underneath her armor.

She preferred her cozy armor over the stylish clothes for nobility, so it seemed.

As she walked up several snowy steps, she could see several Thalmor soldiers holding their post along the gated pathway that she walked upon. It surrounded what seemed to by a courtyard, completely covered in a blanket of white snow. Seeing that there were no guards within the courtyard itself, Laura jumped off of the pathway and landed a few feet below into the snow, carefully treading through it towards the second building on the other side of the courtyard. 

It was in the middle of the courtyard that the effects of Perry’s invisibility spell had worn off. Laura looked down at her now visible body, fear taking hold of her immediately.

“Perry!” she whispered as she looked behind her, “Make us invisible again, hurry!”

Nobody followed her but the silent snow as it fell to the earth.

“Perry?” she whispered again, her heart sinking in realization.

_Oh Gods, no. Not Perry._

“There she is!” a High Elf barked out. Someone grabbed her arms from behind her and began to tie her hands with a leather strip. She thrashed about in a feeble attempt to escape, but it was useless. Two High Elves took hold of her arms, dragging her backwards towards the building where she intended to sneak into. 

“PERRY!” Laura screamed out into the howling wind before the High Elves dragged her through the door and shut it with an ominous bang.


	20. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **World on Fire** by Les Friction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick warning, there's a lot of violence in this chapter. Lots and lots of violence. And it was super fun to write. XD

Laura let out a grunt of pain as the guards shoved her through the room, leading her past what seemed to be a living room and towards an open office to the left. There she noticed an older Breton man speaking with a Thalmor agent clad in his traditional mage robes, where they spoke softly. The Thalmor agent looked up at the sight of the struggling girl in the arms of the Thalmor soldiers, and he smirked with delight.  
“It seems you have found our little spy. Well done,” he congratulated the soldiers in a haughty tone, turning back to the Breton, “Leave us. I have more important matters to attend to at the moment.” The Breton nodded, quickly getting up and leaving the room without looking Laura in the eye. She attempted to break her bonds once again, thrashing her body about to break free, but the guards kept a strong hold on her arms tied behind her. The Thalmor agent chuckled to himself at her feeble attempts, and Laura looked straight up at the tall Elf, forcing herself to look straight his eyes. She felt the sudden sting of tears, and she silently prayed to herself that they would go away. 

Perhaps Danny knew this man. Laura suddenly remembered Danny’s account of the horrors of the Thalmor, the feeling of fatigue washing over her when she realized that there was a good chance that she would live those horrors now. She felt her legs begin to give out at such a thought, but she was quick to steady herself despite the two men who held her back. It was the agent that was first to break the eye contact, looking up at the soldiers in elven armor that held her captive. The door opened once again, sending the howling winds into the building. Five more soldiers entered the room, awaiting orders from the Thalmor agent.

“Follow me downstairs.”

The Thalmor agent walked in front of them, and Laura was dragged towards him by the two Thalmor soldiers. She let out a grunt of pain as they sent her down a narrow wooden staircase that descended underneath the building. Once the stairs ended in a small room of musty wooden planks, Laura noticed an iron door to her left. The Thalmor agent fiddled with his keys for a moment, finding the right one to unlock the door. Laura was shoved through the door behind the Thalmor agent, the smell of stale blood hitting her nose as she entered the upper balcony of what seemed to be an interrogation room. She began to hear what seemed to be a harsh woman’s voice, but it was difficult for her to make any sense out of the sound. As she was being shoved down another set of wooden stairs, she could see an open room with a desk and two chairs, with a notebook open upon it with a quill and an inkwell. Now that she was heading downstairs, she was beginning to pick up words in the conversation.

“Well, darling, if you aren’t going to be of any use to me, I may as well turn you into a red splotch on the floor.”

The stairs turned to the left, and Laura could now see Matska at the end of the hall, her hungry vampire eyes ablaze with fury. She looked down at the floor, where Perry lay on her knees, slumped over but looking up at the enraged vampire with her hands bound behind her back. The Half-Elf’s head whipped around in Laura’s direction, and the little Breton could see a bloody cut above her eyebrow.

“Perry! Thank the gods,” Laura breathed. 

“Laura,” Perry stammered, her eyes wild with fear, “I’m sorry, I... I… the vampire got me. I didn’t see her.”

“It’s okay,” Laura said, forcing a smile on her face. It clearly wasn’t convincing to Perry, as Laura could see that her body was even tenser than she thought possible. The Thalmor soldiers finally let go of Laura, throwing her upon the wooden floor beside Perry. Perry leaned into Laura now that she kneeled beside her, and the little Breton noticed two puncture wounds in Perry’s neck, fresh with blood. Laura put an arm around her shoulder to support her, realizing that the bard must have been fatigued from the loss of blood.

“Well, it’s good to meet you as who you truly are, spy,” Matska began, crossing her arms and smirking triumphantly, “Elenwen should consider herself lucky that she invited me to the party, or else her brainless little justiciars would never have caught up with you. I’m surprised that you haven’t allied yourself with the Thieves Guild over in Riften, my dear. Maven Black-Briar would have certainly love to have a meddling teenager such as you, if you hadn’t come her to face the wrath of the Thalmor.” Matska looked over at the Thalmor agent, and Laura could see that blood was staining her lips, “I’m ever so grateful that you brought the Breton, Rulindil. Human and Elf blood tastes so bitter when mixed.”

Laura felt her heart beat faster at that remark, and she looked down at Perry, who was now watching the Redguard with pained eyes. Laura watched the Rulindil walk over to the table and chairs, picking up his notebook and quill before walking back towards the two captives.

“Now, shall we begin the interrogations?” Matska smiled, sending chills down Laura’s spine. Rulindil wrote something in his notebook before looking up at the captives, nodding at Matska in approval.  
“Why did such idiotic young travelers end up infiltrating Elenwen’s Embassy?”

There was a sudden blast heard from behind them, as splinters of wood sprayed in all directions, a deafening roar shaking the wooden basement of the interrogation room. Laura and Perry went down to the floor, both covering their faces to avoid the sharp projectiles. When Laura pushed herself back up to a kneeling position, she could see the poised silhouette of a huge bear, oddly humanoid and covered in thick chestnut fur. Its pale blue eyes gleamed as it watched the vampire and the Thalmor agent in the shadows, the wooden wall beside him now blown apart by his previous impact.

LaFontaine was the first to step out of the rubble that the werebear had created, their face lit by the blazing spheres of fire that they held in each hand. The flames seemed to grow bigger and brighter with every breath the mage took, as their eyes were blazing with as much fury as the crackling embers they had created. LaFontaine looked straight up at the vampire, their presence sending waves of rage throughout the interrogation chamber.

“I swear to Talos, if you so much as touch Perr, your Embassy’s going to be a fucking pile of ash.”

Carmilla was the next to enter through the rubble, quick to grab LaFontaine’s arm to pull them back. Danny came out next, standing quietly in the shadows by the werebear, who quickly shifted back into the definite shape of Kirsch.

“Hold up, redhead,” Carmilla urged, looking up at Laura and Perry. The vampires stood stiff with shock as they’re eyes passed over one another, a sudden silence filling the room.

“Mattie,” Carmilla finally choked out, Laura feeling a sudden wave of confusion wash over her despite the tension filling the interrogation chamber, “What are you doing here?”

“Finishing mother’s work, kitty. It’s been far too long,” Mattie began, her body relaxing and a smile shining upon her face, “What, two hundred years, now? Not since mother was buried away. What in Oblivion have you been up to?”

“You work with the Thalmor?” Carmilla’s voice began to shake, her body still stiff from seeing Mattie. Laura saw movement from the corner of her eye, noticing that Danny was near the interrogation desk as everyone intently watched the two vampires. The Dragonborn carefully opened up the drawer in the desk, pulling out a few scrolls and stuffing them in her backpack.

It was almost as if she knew the place well, the way she snuck around like that.

“Yes, of course I do, darling,” Matska’s voice pulled Laura back to the vampires, “I’ve brought peace between the Volkihar Clan and the Aldmeri Dominion. Mother was quite fond of her High Elf brethren, don’t you remember?” The older vampire paused for a moment, studying Carmilla’s pained expression, “By Coldharbour, you’re still wrapped up in that Blades nonsense, aren’t you?”

“Mattie-” Carmilla’s eyes were furrowed, and Laura thought she could see her eyes begin to water.

“You should have learned by now, Kitty,” Mattie began to scold her, “Everyone would have been safe if you hadn’t joined them all those years ago, you know that? Mother wouldn’t be gone. You should have at least known better when the Thalmor ripped your organization apart. Gods, I would have guessed you had at least joined the Dark Brotherhood full time.”

Carmilla’s gaze didn’t leave Mattie, but Laura noticed a shift in the Thalmor agent’s posture beside her.

“You’re little cult is useless without a Dragonborn. It’s time to give that up, darling. You’ve been playing this game for too long.” 

“Lawrence, those papers are mine,” Rulindil suddenly spoke up, all eyes turning to him, “I’d advise you to put those back. You know what happens when your kind misbehaves.”

Danny suddenly jumped back at the High Elf’s statement, her eyes growing wide. Laura watched as Danny steadied herself, looking at the ground for a moment before her eyes were back on the High Elf.

“I thought you were dead, Lawrence,” Rulindil taunted, “Why am I not surprised? I remember you well, you know. The only one whose mind couldn’t be influenced to our cause. You were quite the legend here,” he began to walk towards Danny, who took steps backward to the same rate as his, “I’ve gotten better at my illusion techniques. Perhaps we should test you out again, Lawrence?”

Before Laura could react, Kirsch advanced on the Thalmor agent, pulling out his greatsword and thrusting it in front of the Elf’s neck. The Elf stopped his advancement on the Nord girl, sneering at the Stormcloak as the sword was placed threateningly close to his skin.

“You can’t hurt her,” Kirsch began, “I… We won’t let you! You gotta go through me, Thalmor!” Laura tugged at her bonds again, but it was no use. She felt the desperate desire to plunge a dagger through the High Elf’s back.

“Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into, Stormcloak?” Rulindil growled, a smirk forming upon his face, “Your little rebellion will face our wrath very soon. And all of you will pass through here, I guarantee it.”

“Kirsch,” Danny muttered, getting both the Elf’s and Kirsch’s attention, “Step back. You shouldn’t to get involved with this one.” Both the human and the Elf looked surprised, and after a moment of considering, the Nordic boy took the sword away from Rulindil’s throat. The High Elf showed no sign of relief at this gesture, and Kirsch kept a firm hand on his greatsword as he backed away, watching Danny with eyes bright with worry.

Laura noticed fur begin to grow at the end of Danny’s elbow, despite the Ring of Hircine she wore around her finger. 

“You know keeping your friends out of this fight won’t prevent them from suffering your fate, Lawrence,” Rulindil sneered. Laura could see Danny’s eyes beginning to glow fiercely and grow wet with tears, but she still stood tall in front of the Elf. The tied up Breton looked over at Carmilla, who was watching her closely. 

“I figured out why you couldn’t brainwash me,” Danny stated, drawing back Laura’s attention, “And your plan to kill on the prisoners spreading the lycanthrope disease back in Cyrodiil didn’t work out too well for you, you know.”

The Thalmor laughed, “You’re foolish to think you can threaten me. You may have broken free, but a dog can never have power over his master.” The last comment sent shivers down Laura’s spine.

“You’re wrong,” Danny spoke flatly, making the Thalmor laugh even more, “You shouldn’t have assumed that.” She took a step forward, catching the High Elf off by surprise.

“FUS RO DAH!” The Thalmor went flying against the wall, Carmilla and Mattie jumping back to avoid his flinging body. Mattie’s eyes grew wide at Danny’s Voice, giving an incredulous look to Carmilla.  
“Dragonborn…” Laura heard one of the Thalmor soldiers mutter behind her.

Time seemed to slow down as Danny’s face began to beat red with fury, her fur growing in her ears and eyes glowing harshly. She ripped the ring off of her finger, throwing it at Kirsch before lunging at the Thalmor, shifting from man to wolf in a gut-wrenching roar. This seemed to set off the building tension in the room, as both Thalmor and Blades lunged at each other like two armies in a battle. Laura felt a sudden tug at her bonds, looking behind her to see Carmilla breaking her bonds with a knife. Laura jumped to her feet once her bonds were broken, taking the dagger that Carmilla handed her. Perry stood beside Laura, grabbing a dagger from LaFontaine after they had freed her. She still held LaFontaine’s shoulder, steadying herself from the blood loss. Carmilla quickly jumped into the battle, avoiding Mattie and attacking a Thalmor soldier. She shot a blood spell into the soldier’s heart, making him scream in pain. Advancing on him quickly, she plunged a sword through his armor and bit into his neck. The Thalmor let out another agonizing scream, but his voice died slowly upon his lips as his skin turned pale from the lack of blood. As the life left his body, Carmilla let him go, tossing his body onto the wooden floor, his blood staining it. Carmilla looked up at Laura, blood covering her mouth and chin.

“Laura, come on!” she yelled, grabbing Laura’s arm and pulling her towards the hole that Kirsch had previously created. Another Thalmor advanced on them, but Laura was quick to react as she was being pulled away, thrusting a dagger straight into his stomach. The Thalmor soldier fell back, and Perry and LaFontaine followed them as they descended into the rubble.

Laura’s last view of the interrogation room was the streak of blood on the walls were Danny had thrown Rulindil with her Voice.

Turning back to face Carmilla, she realized that they were descending down a long tunnel filled with snow and the occasional skeleton, who Laura assumed had suffered in the hands of the Thalmor. The reek of death made her want to throw up, but she suppressed the feeling. They turned a sharp corner to see that Kirsch was ahead of them, chasing down what looked like a flash of brown fur ahead of them. She turned around to see several Thalmor soldiers behind them, as well as a breathless LaFontaine and Perry sprinting behind them. LaFontaine ran as if they had the ability to run faster, since they only wore mage robes compared to Perry’s light armor, but they stayed at her pace in case Perry lost the strength to run. 

Laura inhaled clear air into her lungs with quick, raspy breaths as the group emerged out of the tunnel, as Laura realized it opened up into a cave entrance along a main cobblestone road. A light snow fell onto the well-worn path, and Laura could see the Thalmor Embassy several yards away. Their horses were tied to a post outside of the entrance, Shadowmere’s ears perking up at the sight of Carmilla dragging Laura out into the open. Laura quickly noticed Danny, sighing in relief seeing her back in her human form, putting the Ring of Hircine back on her finger as Kirsch stood beside her. 

LaFontaine and Perry jumped out next, and Perry ran to her horse to grab her lute that hung off of its saddle. LaFontaine casted several spells onto the ground, making circular marks with strange etchings upon the snow. As the Thalmor soldiers sprinted through the cave, they were electrocuted as they stepped onto the magical runes, dropping headfirst into the snow.

“We need to cover our tracks before the rest of the Thalmor soldiers come after us,” Carmilla began, dropping Laura’s hand. Laura realized that she had a sense of security when Carmilla had held it originally once she let go.

“Or,” Danny drew out the word, “Well, what did you say about torching the place, LaF?”

LaFontaine looked up, a sudden excitement in their eyes, “Really?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure it’ll make us all sleep better,” Danny replied.

“Don’t burn the first building!” Laura suddenly blurted out, thinking of Elsie, “There’s innocent people in there!”

A huge, mischievous grin spread across the mages face, and they took off towards the direction of the building that held the hidden interrogation room, fire erupting from their fingertips as the building went up in smoke. Even after the fire had grown into a roaring blaze, LaFontaine continued spout flames from their hands.

“Well, redhead is clearly enjoying themselves,” Carmilla commented. Laura looked up at her, confusion stirring in her chest.

“Hey,” Laura spoke up, “Do you think Mattie got out?” The vampire looked over at the little Breton, then back at the flames.

“I know she did,” was all Carmilla would say.


	21. Stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Tompkins Square Park** by Mumford and Sons

“Well, the Thalmor knew nothing about the dragons,” Perry’s tense voice broke the silence.

“What?” Carmilla questioned, looking up over the blazing fire in front of her. The group huddled around the campfire as the first stars began to come out in the clear Skyrim sky, a circle of tents protecting them from the thick forest around them. They watched Perry intently as she examined the stolen documents, the black shadow of Dragon Bridge looming in the distance behind her.

“So that was all for nothing?” Danny heard Laura ask, and the Nordic girl could feel guilt filling her chest.

“No, not for nothing,” Perry explained, studying the scrolls, “It looks like they were doing their research.” She laid one of the scrolls down on the grass, spreading it out to reveal an old map. The group left the fire and crowded around the bard, whose hands flattened the map to make it easier to see.

“That’s the Reach, right?” LaFontaine asked, “It looks like they marked down a bunch of Forsworn camps. What would they need them for?” Perry nodded, pointing at a particular X on the map that was labeled Sky Haven Temple.

“I think they were looking for this,” Perry explained, “They wrote about how it came from the ancient Akaviri or something, but I don’t really know…”

“By the Gods, they found it,” Carmilla spoke up, all heads turning to face her in the sudden outburst, “They found Alduin’s Wall. If he’s involved… Gods, I’m so stupid. This is worse than I thought.”

“Alduin?” Danny asked, the name sounding familiar on her tongue. 

“Alduin’s Wall was built by the Akaviri before my time,” Carmilla explained, running her finger over Sky Haven Temple’s location carefully, “The Akaviri came from the East and conquered Tamriel, but they eventually turned into the Blades. They built the Wall here in Skyrim to record everything they knew about the dragons, including Alduin’s return.” Carmilla grabbed one of the scrolls, quickly scanning over what was written within them before tossing them aside to grab another one. Perry gave the vampire a quizzical look, clutching at the map laid out in the grass.

“Whoa, hold on,” Danny looked over at Carmilla, “Alduin? Who’s Alduin?” Carmilla sighed, looking down at the map.

“He was the firstborn of Akatosh, bringer of the end times and destined to swallow the world. I think he’s that big black dragon that we keep running into.”

“Great, I didn’t need to sleep ever again,” LaFontaine grumbled. Silence spread across the group before the mage spoke up again.

“Anyways, we’re off to Sky Haven Temple?” LaFontaine asked, looking over at Perry.

“I’m not sure if we can get to it,” Perry muttered, looking down at the map, “There’s a huge Forsworn camp there, they’d kill us in seconds.”

“Yeah, that’s why the Thalmor haven’t taken action,” Carmilla spoke up again, putting the scrolls down, “They probably don’t want to cause a war between their factions, but that shouldn’t be a problem for us.”

Laura looked over at Carmilla, “Why?”

“I can teleport us there. Being a vampire helps sometimes.”

“Whoa, you can do that?” LaFontaine nearly jumped up in excitement, their eyes lit up as they focused on the vampire, “Is that only a… you know… vampire thing? I bet with some little tweaks I could figure it out.”

“LaFontaine-” Perry began to protest. Carmilla began to chuckle to herself, looking over at the curious mage.

“Maybe some other time, LaF,” the vampire decided, “It sounds like we’ve got the son of a Divine to deal with first.”

 _Alduin._ The name sounded so smooth and natural to Danny. A sick feeling grew in her stomach at the thought of facing the dragon from Helgen again. Despite her newfound experience from killing so many dragons, those deep red eyes still shook her to the bone. As the rest of the group said their goodbyes and headed for their tents for the night, Danny sat for a moment longer, her eyes staring deeply into the dying embers of the fire. Carmilla did not retreat to her bedroll, leaving the circle of tents to lean against a nearby spruce tree to look up at the first stars of the night.

_Could I really take on the son of Akatosh?_

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny awoke to the fur ceiling of her tent, barely seeing the contours of it in the blackness. She inched forward so that her head poked out of her tent, resting it in the cold grass as she pulled her bedroll around her shoulders. She guessed that she had only been asleep for a few hours, as the few stars she had fallen asleep to had turned into thousands of twinkling dots in the sky. The northern lights shined blues and greens onto the circle of tents, giving a faint light for Danny to see. She was about to close her eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep, but she suddenly heard movement in the tent across from her. Laura appeared from her tent, a heavy cloak covering her nightdress to keep out the cold night air. She began to walk towards a fallen log outside of the circle of tents, and Danny realized that Carmilla was still leaning against the same spruce tree from a few hours before. Laura sat on the fallen log, looking up at Carmilla who stood beside her. They sat in silence for several minutes before Laura spoke up.

“What are you doing up so late?”

“I could ask the same of you,” the vampire responded, taking her weight off of the tree to stand up, “I like to look at the stars. It’s comforting, knowing how small we are in comparison to that light.” Carmilla looked down at the little Breton, moving towards the fallen log and sitting beside her. The northern lights shined overhead, lighting their faces with greens and blues.

“Can… Can I ask you something?” Laura broke the silence. Carmilla looked over at Laura expectantly as the little Breton spoke, “Who is Mattie, exactly? How do you know her?”

Carmilla sighed, her gaze moving from Laura to the sky above, “Mattie’s my sister. She taught me how to survive as a vampire after I was murdered-”

“Whoa, murdered?” Laura blurted out, making Carmilla chuckle, “You can’t tell it like that!”

“Alright, cupcake, let me back up the story,” Carmilla chided, “I was raised by the Karnstein family in Cyrodiil, three hundred and seventy years into the Third Era. My family held many elegant parties, much like how the Thalmor do to keep relations in their politics. I was murdered at a ball when I was eighteen, but mother saved me.”

“Mother?” Laura asked.

“Not my birthmother. She was the vampire lord that brought me back to the plane of the living. She was the leader of a powerful cult of vampire lords, who I joined underneath mother’s guidance. That’s where I met Mattie; she was turned by mother just as she had done to me, but she was much older. She taught me how to survive as a creature of the night, helped me become stronger.”

“So you were close to her?”

“Yes,” Carmilla spoke in almost a whisper, looking back at Laura with sadness in her eyes, “But I soon grew bored of life in the cult. I wanted something… different. And that’s when I met a Dunmer girl named Ell.”

“Ell?”

“She was one of the targets that I was supposed to eliminate. The cult worked closely with the Dark Brotherhood at the time, that’s how I got Shadowmere. I was to grow close to her and assassinate her in the night, but once I got to know her… nothing was a lie,” Carmilla paused, wiping her eye before continuing, “She worked for the Blades, so I joined in secret to be with her. We rose to high ranks in the Blades together after we survived the events of the Oblivion Crisis, and mother eventually found out what I was up to. So my punishment was to see Ell be taken away to some certain doom.”

Laura put a reassuring hand on Carmilla’s shoulder, caressing it gently as Carmilla fought back her tears.

“The discovery of my part in the Blades led to a civil war in the cult,” Carmilla explained, pain in her voice, “We split into the vampires who wished to be free of mother’s control and those who wanted to follow her. Mattie and I were split as the two sides just… tore each other apart. The result was that mother and I were sealed in coffins of blood, left to rot under the earth for eternity. I…I hadn’t seen my sister since then.” Laura’s cloak began to fall off of her shoulder to expose it to the cold night, but Laura did not seem to notice. Carmilla took the end of the cloak carefully, draping it around her shoulder. Laura seemed confused for a moment, silently mumbling her thanks as Carmilla continued the story.

“But then the Great War came, and I was set free upon the battlefield. I was lucky, as mother’s coffin was never dug out of the earth. I rejoined the Blades, only to see them slaughtered by the Thalmor. I changed my name and identity when the White-Gold Concordant was signed, and went into hiding.”

“So you’ve been looking for Danny for this long?”

“Yes. It’s the least I can do to repay what I did to Ell.”

“Carm, you didn’t do that to Ell! That was you mother’s fault, not yours.”

“But I could have prevented it. I could have kept her safe.”

“You did everything you could,” Laura replied, leaning her head on Carmilla’s shoulder and looking up at the dancing lights in the sky, “You shouldn’t blame yourself for that. Or for what side Mattie chose. You did what you thought was right, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Carmilla sighed, leaning her head onto Laura’s, “I guess I did.” Silence settled around them, as the chirps of crickets and the rustling of the pines in the wind became more audible. The two sat in silence, their faces lit by the stars and the lights that surrounded them in a moment of blissful peace.


End file.
